Skateboarding video games are a hell of time and EA’s latest skate, the free-to-play title aiming to reboot EA’s once-cherished collection, is making an attempt to lure of us again into the thrills of digital ollies and kickflips. And since it’s a free-to-play sport from a AAA writer in 2025, it’s received microtransactions and seasons and all that stuff. Whereas we largely tolerate this silliness in video games these days, some stuff is simply too costly and too ugly to cross with out remark.
As a substitute of throwing cash on the display for a pores and skin of house zombie-stomper Isaac Clarke from Lifeless Area, followers of skate have taken to the web to throw shade on the builders for promoting such an unsightly model of Clarke for $35 bucks (h/t comrade Pitts at GameSpot). That’s like, an entire meal at Taco Bell today (with possibly a drink should you’re fortunate). It’s additionally the value of many full, full video games you’ll be able to play from begin to end. That’s most likely what’s left of us so sore: skate. Is the kind of sport you can as soon as plunk down a average sum for and be achieved with it, however is now one more nagging pockets leech making an attempt to financial institution in your nostalgia.
You should purchase 3 Lifeless Sapce video games with that cash (and doubtless 3 Skate video games)
— Diogo Rodrigues (@Rodrigues_520) October 7, 2025
The scenario reminds us simply how far we’ve come from an period of gaming that felt extra respectful of our money and time. One fan over on r/SkateEA factors out that 2010’s Skate 3 had an Isaac Clarke pores and skin–nevertheless it was free and appeared extra devoted to the character’s look within the authentic sport.
It’s an actual disgrace as skate appears like time in any other case, filled with all the loopy stuff we’ll by no means be capable of do in actual life on a skateboard.
And as one other fan on Reddit opines, the sport’s battle cross (skate cross?) simply comprises “ugly equipment and clothes together with phoned in feeling graphics for decks” as a substitute of stuff from precise skate manufacturers. And if ever there was an trade that was ripe for having its aesthetics reduce up and bought in little bits, it’s the skateboard trade. With its varied legendary designs, from the epic birds of Birdhouse Skateboards to the attractive art work discovered in your common Ingredient board (which used to my model of selection again within the day), there’s a ton of cool designs that might be packaged into the sport as a becoming tribute to the trade. I’d nonetheless be aggravated if these value $35 a bit, however no less than they’d really feel somewhat extra related.
C’mon, EA.
