Skate 4 ‘pre-pre-pre-alpha’ footage shown off and playtesting announced

EA has shown some new footage, which it is calling “pre-pre-pre-alpha”, of the next entry in the Skate franchise.

The footage, which can be viewed below, shows a wire-frame version of the new open world that the next Skate game will take place in. Later in the video, more finalised graphics are shown, with a disclaimer reading that those sections are “pre-pre-alpha”.

Players can now sign-up to playtest the new game here, although at the time of reporting, the site was experiencing major issues.

The new trailer also shows off new traversal elements that weren’t in previous games, such as jumping between ledges. The trailer also implies that the number of players that will be able to skate together will be largely increased.

In April it was claimed that Skate 4 will include online free skate mode which lets users hang out and build skateparks together.

Giant Bomb reporter Jeff Grubb discussed the mode during his premium Giant Bomb show Grubbsnax.

Grubb said EA’s was attempting to modernise the series without taking away from what fans loved about the three original games, the last of which was released in 2010.

“They are going to be taking some modern stuff, specifically the kind of stuff you might see in a Forza game or a lot of modern online multiplayer games, where you’re going to have a lot of customisation options for your character, a lot of skins, skins for your board, things like that,” he said.

The next Skate game, which is known to fans as Skate 4, but hasn’t been officially titled, was announced in 2020 following years of fan demand.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson previously said he believes the company can grow the appeal of the Skate series by focusing on industry trends around user-generated content, open-worlds and community.