Skate 4 developer Full Circle has officially revealed the upcoming title's first gameplay video, showcasing early pre-alpha footage with missing textures and placeholder objects alongside a more refined demonstration with proper lighting and texturing. The studio is also officially inviting players to join playtesting as insiders, following the previous rumors of Full Circle cooperating with fans.
According to the well-known industry insider Tom Henderson, Skate 4 has been in the playtesting phase for months, which was backed up by an unofficial confirmation discovered on Origin’s API. The leak suggested that participants had proper characters and stats during gameplay. The progress, however, was not supposed to transfer to Skate 4 once playtesting period was over. The report fueled further rumors that the game could be coming this year but judging by the recent official demonstration, the game is still early in development.
The Vancouver studio Full Circle has revealed Skate 4’s first gameplay video focused on the current in-development build of the anticipated game. The official video is somewhat similar to the previously leaked Skate 4 gameplay footage shared by an industry insider in April. But while the latest video does feature simplistic visuals with placeholder objects and missing textures, there’s also a brief look at what Skate 4 might look like when the development is over. There’re some basic skating movements and physics in the footage alongside what appears to be custom environments, suggesting there could be a map editor. Full Circle encourages fans to join skate.'s Insider Program, which will allow them to get a chance to play and provide feedback. According to the studio, this will help shape the future of Skate 4.
The current pre-alpha status of Skate 4 raises more questions than answers, especially regarding the game’s release date. Earlier this year, EA CEO Andrew Wilson revealed that Skate 4's release date was coming soon. These plans could’ve been altered since, but there’s still a chance that the exhausting wait for the sequel might be coming to an end.
Full Circle’s decision to share a gameplay demonstration of Skate 4’s pre-alpha build clearly states that the development team wants to gather feedback from franchise fans to ensure that the anticipated sequel delivers the best possible experience. At this early stage, the team’s focus is probably on finding the perfect solutions to how the game feels and challenges players. By drawing in the community, Full Circle could potentially secure multiple valuable ideas.
Source: skate./YouTube, skate.