EA’s Skate 4 has microtransactions and it’s not even in early access yet

A closed alpha test for EA’s Skate has raised alarm bells ahead of its early access launch this year.

Fans of skateboarding games look set to be served well this year, with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, Skate Story, and EA’s Skate reboot all due to launch in 2025.

The biggest question mark hangs over the latter, which was announced five years ago and is switching to a free-to-play format for the first time. While it is called ‘Skate’, the next entry is technically the fourth mainline instalment in the series, and the first in 15 years since Skate 3.

In an age when live service games come and go within months, there’s naturally some trepidation around Skate going free-to-play – something which has only been heightened by the presence of microtransactions in the ongoing closed alpha test.

In an email sent to players who signed up to the alpha, which has been shared on Reddit, EA announced an ‘epic gameplay update’ which includes new items and features, including the option to purchase and use in-game currency known as San Van Bucks.

‘We want to provide [a] positive experience when purchasing items from the Skate store,’ reads the email. ‘To ensure we achieve these goals at early access we have enabled the option to purchase and use virtual currency in our ongoing closed alpha playtest.

‘Your feedback will be greatly appreciated in providing a great experience at early access launch.’

EA states any purchases made during the alpha period will be ‘converted back to San Van Bucks of an equivalent value’ which will be ‘available in your account at the early access launch’, which is slated to begin at some point in 2025.

To make sure this happens though, you have to use the same EA account for both playtesting and early access.

While free-to-play games inevitably require microtransactions to keep the lights on, it’s unusual for them to be activated in alpha tests. If they are, typically developers will give players a certain amount of currency for free to test the in-game shop, so they can get feedback that way.

EA is technically giving back any money spent on microtransactions during the alpha via in-game currency, when it launches in early access, but it still feels gross to lock in financial investment from players before it has even come out – especially as it’s not even in early access yet.

Skate is set to launch in early access this year across consoles, PC, and mobile, but EA has yet to announce a specific date. In the meantime, the remake of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 will launch on July 11, 2025.

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