Skate – stylistically written as skate., but still – is no longer sticking to the principle that helped it win players over in the first place.

The free-to-play revival of Skate has not had a smooth ride in Early Access. While it pulled in millions of players at launch, it soon slipped to “Mixed” reviews on Steam, and the following months – weighed down by microtransactions and technical issues – did little to improve the mood. Now, Electronic Arts appears to be testing just how much worse public opinion can get, announcing a new area where unlimited access will require payment – something the Skate developers explicitly ruled out before release.

In a Season 3 dev blog post, Electronic Arts unveiled a reworked Isle of Grom, an expanded version of Skate’s tutorial zone packed with new places to skate and explore, including hills, massive chasms, and slick transitions. Initially, Isle of Grom will only be available from March 10 to April 14 for players who purchased the Skate Pass, priced at 1,000 San Van Bucks (roughly $10). After that, Isle of Grom will open up to everyone from April 14 to May 5, letting all players skate the area as part of a multi-week special event. Once May 5 hits, the island will again require Skate Pass Premium, though players will also be given the option to rent access using in-game currency by paying 500 earnable Rip Chips for a day pass.

Even if you can see the basic logic of asking players to pay for a new region in a free-to-play game, it becomes far harder to stomach when access is wrapped in a three-step, conditional flowchart while the title is already deep in the microtransaction swamp. In a video published in July 2022 – before release – the Skate developers said, as a baseline rule, that map areas would not be locked behind paid content…

Launching in Early Access meant we were going to work on the game in public while players played. We want to build this game to last, and it means we will need to make changes as we go sometimes. It also allows us to make improvements like updating our characters, lighting,… pic.twitter.com/RuYvDhdEZO

— skate. (@skate) February 19, 2026

We launched skate. in Early Access so we could build it with players, not behind closed doors.
Since September we’ve been updating the world, tweaking characters, and adding features our players have been asking for, and there is lots more coming.
Yes, sometimes plans have to…

— skate. (@skate) February 19, 2026

On Twitter, the official Skate account tried to soften the blow by responding to understandably frustrated players over the fact that the game did exactly what it said it would not do: “Launching in Early Access meant we were going to work on the game in public while players played. We want to build this game to last, and it means we will need to make changes as we go sometimes. It also allows us to make improvements like updating our characters, lighting, adding tricks, and other things we’ve changed since September. This change was made so the game can last long-term. Sometimes plans have to change. That’s part of developing in public. We’re here, we’re listening, and we’ll keep shaping Skate together.”

It’s still them spitting in their own face.

Forrás: PCGamer, Electronic Arts