EA’s new Skate confirmed to have ‘flumping,’ which skateboarders do
Electronic Arts and developer Full Circle released an update on the new Skate — which we all just casually call Skate 4and not “skate.“, right? – shows what activities players will engage in when the game launches at an undetermined time. No, there’s still no release date for the new Skate – this is a game that’s clearly still well into development and playtesting, although Full Circle developers offered a hint of progress today by saying console playtesting is coming.
Full Circle showed new snippets of “pre-pre-alpha gameplay” from the new Skate on Thursday, talking about what players can expect as they skate through the city of San Vansterdam. Developers discussed some types of activities, including challenges, which are described as “short solo experiences that rotate in and out” that will change over time; Pop-ups, dynamic events designed to be cooperative experiences; Community Events, involving large groups of skaters; and Throwdowns, user-initiated and customizable activities where players can gather, compete, and collaborate. Tantalizingly, developers noted that activities in Skate are unbounded from ‘our reality’ so expect things to get a little weird.
Developers also discussed variations of challenges, including challenges that focus on climbing – meaning taking advantage of skateable verticality – and others like Tag, games for large groups.
The Skate team also coined the term “flumping” to describe what players are going to do off their boards. Flumping is a portmanteau of ‘flicking’ and ‘jumping’ and implies the urban platforming and exploration that will happen if you don’t skate directly. (Warning: do not look up this term in Urban Dictionary.)
Full Circle emphasized again that it is his opinion Skate will be a living, growing game, and that progression and earning rewards are central to the ongoing design plan. “Expect something different every day, week or season,” developers said.
The new Skate This was officially confirmed in 2020, after years of fan campaigning. In 2021, EA announced the team that the new Skate. Full Circle is led by Daniel McCulloch, formerly Xbox Live general manager at Microsoft, and Deran Chun and Chris “Cuz” Parry as Skate‘creative leadership’. The new Skate is headed to unannounced consoles and PC.