The highly anticipated upcoming reboot of theSkatefranchise is reportedly considering adding loot boxes. Often referred to asSkate 4among fans, but branded simplySkateby the developers at Electronic Arts, the reboot’s announcement in 2020 came as a major surprise. After all, it’s been over a decade since the release ofSkate 3,andSkatedeveloper EA Black Box’s 2013 closure still stands out in memory. It seems EA’s gamble on a newSkaterelease may be dependent on controversial monetization.EA’sSkatereboot is currently being made by anew studio named Full Circle, based out of British Columbia. Very little has been announced about the game, but one detail that has been confirmed is thatSkatewill be a free-to-play game. The pressures on a new studio to perform can be tremendous, especially if it’s free-to-play and entirely reliant on systems-based monetization to turn a profit.Skatewas always at risk of moving in a direction not in line with what players wanted.RELATED:Skate 4 is a Live-Service Free-to-Play GameAccording to a report from Insider Gaming, EA and itsSkatereboot may be considering just that. Playtesters for the current in-development version ofSkateare stating that the game currently features a monetized system called “Swag Bags.” Swag Bags can be purchased with an in-game currency named Stars, earned through completing gameplay tasks. Stars can also be acquired by exchanging another currency named Taps, which playtesters believe will be aSkatepremium currency.
The Swag Bags will be familiar to those who have played theoriginalOverwatch,Apex Legends, or other games that feature loot boxes – with some notable differences. There are said to be different types of loot boxes, 16 in total in the current game. Each type has five items within, which players will be able to see before purchase. A purchase randomly awards just one of these five items, and can potentially reward duplicates that will turn into a crafting currency.
Long story short,Skate’s Swag Bags are loot boxes. If the leaks are accurate, players will be able to spend real money to gamble for item drops in the newSkategame. Some players will earn the item they want quickly, while most others won’t. That’s theproblematic nature of loot boxes. The odds will always be in EA’s favor.
It bears repeating that this is a leak regarding an in-development state of the newSkategame. Not only could the leak be inaccurate or outright false, developer Full Circle and EA could still change their minds beforeSkate’s eventual release. The outcry against loot boxes was once very loud, but has quieted as more games stopped using thegambling-based monetization. It remains to be seen whetherSkatefans will push back against loot boxes.
