Latest news with #Skate
Business Mayor
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Mayor
The enduring cool of skateboarding games
More than 25 years after the first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater put skateboarding games on the map, developers are still finding new ways to explore skating in video games, especially in 2025. Skateboarding fans are about to have some promising new games to play, with Activision's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 remake releasing in July and EA is set to launch its online-only, free-to-play Skate revival this year. In 2022, my colleague Andrew Webster wrote that we're in a golden age for skateboarding games, and things haven't really slowed down. So what is it that makes skateboarding so good for video games, and allows so many different expressions of the sport from different studios? 'I think skateboarding is one of those things that's just always cool,' THPS 3 + 4 game director Kurt Tillmanns tells The Verge . 'It's an evergreen fantasy, in both real life and games. Being a skateboarder is a sign of what and who is cool.' He says 'there's a reason that we're all in awe of what these people can do.' Part of what makes skateboarding cool is the music, fashion, and art, and video games let people experience that skateboarding culture, too, Tillmanns says. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4. Image: Activision Also, 'it's safer,' jokes Andrew Schimmel, a senior producer at Snowman, the creators of the Skate City series. He says there's a lot of people that would probably love to try skateboarding but don't want to risk breaking a bone. 'Being able to dive into a fantasy world where you can act that out and see the gnarly consequences and not have to suffer from them is like immediately appealing.' Read More Riot doubles down on music for Valorant Champions Tour 2023 It helps that games take so many different approaches to skateboarding. 'The skate community is so diverse, so it makes sense that there's an appetite for all different types of games — some more realistic, some more arcade, some more casual,' says Skate executive producer Mike McCartney. For the new Skate , 'it's all about re-creating a skateboarding experience that reflects the freedom of exploration, discovery, and expression you see in skate culture. We really wanted to respect the roots of the franchise, while bringing the game forward.' Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games will always have what's in the title: 'They've got Tony Hawk, and they've got pro skaters,' Tillmanns says. That includes things like their styles and their personalities — even the special tricks for the skaters are a representation of their style in real life. Tony Hawk is very involved, too, even with the 3 + 4 remakes. Hawk 'is where the culture comes from' and he has a 'real eye for detail' about what goes in the games. 'He knows that this game is the lexicon for skaters for the next few years,' according to Tillmanns. The THPS series also strikes a nice mix of an arcade-y experience and a skateboarding simulation. It has generally realistic physics and locations, but also lets you pull off outlandish tricks, strive for video game-y goals (S-K-A-T-E, anyone?), and play as some not-real characters in wacky places. For the Skate City games, the Snowman team had to think a lot about how to make skateboarding work on mobile. The first launched as an Apple Arcade exclusive, and Skate City: New York is currently an exclusive there, too, so the Snowman team had to figure out a mobile control scheme that 'feels novel and fits the sport' that's also approachable enough to serve a wide audience, Schimmel says. Your two thumbs represent your front and back foot, and you flick your thumbs to emulate flick tricks with skateboarding. Read More vWii Homebrew Channel with Gamepad Support - Skate City: New York. Image: Snowman Developers I spoke with think there's still a lot of ways skateboarding games can grow, too. 'Skateboarding never stops evolving and neither will our game,' Skate 's head of creative, Jeff Seamster, says. 'The creativity of skaters consistently blows my mind. The spots they find, the tricks they're (still) inventing, the vibrant style… we couldn't have imagined today's scene from where we were standing 15, 10, or even five years ago. So, who knows what we'll see tomorrow?' 'Multiplayer and online can always be the next frontier,' Tillmanns says. THPS 3+4 will have crossplay, and the team is excited about 'increasing that pool of online players to something that we've never seen before in a Tony Hawk game.' Schimmel points to games like OlliOlli World (a cartoony, side-scrolling skateboarding adventure) and Skate Story (a psychedelic-looking skateboarding game set to launch this year) that are highlighting skateboarding in different ways. 'In terms of what hasn't been done, I think there's probably lots to explore,' he says.
Metro
07-05-2025
- Business
- Metro
EA game prices will not increase as Battlefield 6 release window confirmed
Despite the rising costs of games across the industry, EA has said it has no plans to change its current pricing strategy yet. The rising costs of games looks set to be a big sticking point over the coming months, with Microsoft and Nintendo both causing a ruckus over their increased prices. This will likely be amplified even further when the expected high price of GTA 6 is announced, but for now, EA has said that it doesn't have any plans to increase the cost of its games… at least not yet. During a Q&A in the company's latest earnings call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson was asked whether the company would follow Nintendo and Xbox in upping the price of its new games slated for this year. 'Our business is very different today than it was even just 10 years ago,' Wilson said. 'In a world where everything we did 10 years was about selling shiny discs in plastic boxes in retail shelves, while that's still a part of our business it's a significantly smaller part of our business, and we now have pricing representing everything from free-to-play all the way to deluxe editions and beyond. 'At the end of the day, whether we're doing something that costs a dollar, or we're doing something that costs $10, or we're doing something that costs $100, our objective is always delivering incredible quality and exponential value to our player base. 'And what we've discovered over the course of time is whether we can marry quality and value together, our business is strong, resilient and continues to grow.' In the most crucial detail, EA chief financial officer Stuart Canfield clarified there are 'no changes in the current strategy at this point'. While this might seem reassuring, the 'at this point' suggests EA could still bump up the price of the inevitable EA Sports FC 26, when it's officially announced, or any other game on its 2025 slate. Although given the disappointing sales for EA Sports FC 25 they're likely to hold off on that for now. One of EA's key future titles is the next Battlefield, which the publisher confirmed will release before March 2026, after a summer reveal. Wilson also said the Skate reboot will arrive within the same window. The next Battlefield, which is already being playtested by fans, is co-developed by DICE, Criterion, Motive, and Ripple Effect under a new 'Battlefield Studios' umbrella. Speaking in the same Q&A, Wilson was asked how the company felt about the Battlefield launch window following Rockstar's delay of GTA 6 to May 26, 2026. After suggesting it would be difficult to 'take advantage' of a 'less competitive window', Wilson said he was positive about Battlefield launching before March 2026, two months clear of GTA 6. The most likely release date is this autumn but given the declining fortunesof recent Battlefield games it's probably unlikely that EA will charge more than £70 for that either. In that sense, the company's statement, that it has no plans to increase prices, is more likely due to the specific nature of their next two big games, rather than a general aversion to raising prices. 'Relative to Battlefield, what we have said all along is we've been building towards a window that we thought made the most sense for Battlefield, but we wouldn't launch into a window that we thought truncated the value that we've invested into the franchise, or the value that we think our players will derive from it once they jump in and start playing,' he said (via VGC). More Trending 'I think now, without going too far, we believe that window is clearer than it was before and we feel very good about launching Battlefield in [financial year] 2026.' A summer reveal suggests Battlefield could pop up during next month's Summer Game Fest, which begins on June 6. Elsewhere in the earnings call, EA announced Split Fiction has sold nearly four million copies, ahead of its launch on Switch 2 next month. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Elden Ring movie with Alex Garland is happening after all says insider MORE: Xbox handheld pic leaks in new photos of collaboration with Asus MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 is less than a month away – here's where you can pre-order
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Skate reboot isn't even out yet, but it already has an EA specialty: microtransactions
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. EA is rebooting its beloved skateboarding series as just 'skate.' and an insider program has already given a select number of fans access to an exclusive playtest, which just got updated with an EA speciality. EA formed developer Full Circle to exclusively work on its upcoming sports game that's aiming to launch into early access this year. The Skate reboot doesn't have a concrete release date yet, but since the series is going down the free-to-play path, an in-game store and microtransactions and premium currencies were always inevitable. What's a little more surprising is that Full Circle added them to Skate's alpha playtests so early. "To ensure we achieve these goals at Early Access we have enabled the option to purchase and use virtual currency (San Van Bucks) in our ongoing Closed Alpha playtest," Full Circle wrote in a message to players this week. "Your feedback will be greatly appreciated in providing a great experience at Early Access launch." Full Circle also notes that account progress might be reset multiple times before launch, so whatever you purchase will be converted back into San Van Bucks before the next Skate game properly comes out as long as you use the same EA account for both the playtests and the full game. Between Battlefield, The Sims, and its long slate of other sports games, EA is no stranger to bolting a digital storefront onto its games. And since the free-to-play model actively affects what progression and customization looks like in any given game, it makes sense that Full Circle would want to test its own freemium fluff in the context of all its hopefully-rad skating. At least there'll be no loot boxes in Skate 4.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
From Thanos to robots: ‘Avengers: Endgame' directors' new sci-fi venture ‘The Electric State' hits Netflix tomorrow (VIDEO)
KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 – A new sci-fi film helmed by Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo, The Electric State, will be premiering on Netflix tomorrow. Set in the aftermath of a robot uprising in an alternate version of the 1990s, The Electric State is based on the titular graphic novel by Simon Stalenhag. The film follows an orphaned teenager (Millie Bobby Brown) who travels across the American West with the cartoon-inspired robot Cosmo, a smuggler (Chris Pratt) and his helper bot Herman in search of her younger brother. Anthony said the film marked the first time the brothers have 'worked with a teenage female protagonist where the entire film and story was designed around her.' Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci and Breaking Bad fame Gioncarlo Esposito also helm pivotal roles in the film. Tucci plays the antagonist, tech mogul Ethan Skate while Esposito stars as Colonel Marshall Bradbury, a ruthless robot-slayer working for Skate. 'Bradbury is a retired army officer responsible for tracking and hunting down robots. In terms of similarities that I share with the character, I went to a military school and had a little bit of military background growing up. 'So, I understand that leaders have to act and carry themselves in a certain way to get the job done,' Esposito told Malay Mail during an exclusive interview recently. 'Bradbury operates in shades of grey, with motivations rooted in both personal stakes and a vision for what he believes is the greater good. 'On the surface, he may seem like someone who's purely driven by power, but underneath, there's a deep sense of conflict and even regret. 'I love characters like this because they challenge me to portray both strength and fragility, sometimes in the same scene,' he added. Stanley Tucci stars as tech mogul Ethan Skate while Gioncarlo Esposito plays the role of Colonel Marshall Bradbury, a ruthless robot-slayer working for Skate. — Picture courtesy of Netflix Meanwhile, Tucci described Skate as 'a tech genius who studied animal behaviour and learned a lot from that to create neurocasters, a system that allows a person to project themselves to live in the world, but safely.' Tucci, who was also part of Captain America: The First Avenger, also hailed the visual effects in The Electric State as 'stuff we've never seen before'. 'What's so interesting about the Russo brothers is a lot of people rely very heavily on VFX but they don't know how to direct actors. 'The difference between these guys, as is evidenced in the movies that they previously made, is that they love VFX, they use it like it's nobody's business, but they know how to direct actors,' he said.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘A promise kept:' An East Durham roller rink reopens with excitement for the future
Silk Sonic's 'Skate' blared through the speakers as dozens of people poured into the Wheels Durham roller-skating rink on Hoover Road on Thursday evening. The walls still smelled of paint, and the star-pattern carpet glowed under the colorful overhead lights. On the shelves behind the counter, neatly lined red, yellow and blue skates waited for new feet to glide on the glossy rink. Durhamites have waited for years for the city to reopen the roller rink in Merrick-Moore Park. The rink in the former Wheels Fun Park, which also had mini golf and go-karts, closed in 2020 after four decades of being a place to hold parties, hang out with friends, and learn to skate. In 2021, the city bought the space and began renovations after residents demanded the return of the safe space for youth in East Durham. 'Tonight is so much more than just an opportunity for nostalgia,' City Manager Bo Ferguson said Thursday. 'Tonight is about a promise kept.' More additions are coming to the Wheels Durham lot now that Durham voters approved a $200 million bond to fund parks and streets projects. Soon, an aquatic center will go beside Wheels that includes a lazy river, zero-depth entry pool, climbing wall and water slides. Wheels Durham is now managed by United Skates of America, which operates a roller rink on Trawick Road in Raleigh and several other locations in the country. All weekend, the rink is holding events to celebrate the reopening and kick off months of events for youth, seniors, teens, and local groups. As the night went on, people waited in line to trade their shoes for skates and waddle out onto the floor. Mayor Leonardo Williams was the first to test out the new rink. 'I used to be a skater, but this floor is really tight, making it slippery,' he said after a few laps trying to keep his balance. 'I need to get different skates.' Williams called the reopening of Wheels 'dope,' a word he sometimes uses to describe the city's happenings. 'When we get to refurbish childhood memories, when we get to bring things like this back to life, and not only bring it back to life but make it even better, that's pretty dope if you ask me,' he said. Kristen Keith sat in front of the skating floor to secure the kid training skates on her 5-year-old twins and 2-year-old daughter. 'They really like to skate. We had been going to USA (skating rink) in Raleigh but haven't been in a while, so we were very excited to get their skates out,' Keith said. A Durham native and resident, she was happy to bring her children to Wheels to create new memories in a restored building. 'I haven't been here since I was a child,' she said. 'But walking in here, it all felt very familiar.' Wheels is the only roller skating rink in Durham and one of two in the Triangle. When it closed in 2020, some residents would travel to Raleigh's USA Skating Rink to skate or host parties. Eddie Watson remembers when he skated to new hip-hop songs of the late 1980s and early '90s after Wheels relocated to Hoover Road from Roxboro Road. 'I'm happy it's back. Wheels was a big part of Black culture in Durham,' he said. 'There were different styles, and it gave you a better atmosphere to skate to.' Watson teaches skating in Raleigh and is the founder of the Raleigh-Durham Skaters Association. Though the roller skating community isn't as large as in other cities like Atlanta, Watson said people are always excited for opportunities to skate regardless of age or resources. At 58, he is still lacing up. 'Age doesn't matter,' he said. 'The will and the moment do.' Outside of Wheels, an installation by Raleigh-based artist and muralist Dare Coulter takes up the front of the building. The sculptures protruding out of the wall by the entrance are of different Durham residents who have skated at Wheels. On the opposite side are the words 'From Bull City With Love' above the Bull City hand sign. 'I can't tell y'all how long ago it was that I fell in love with this city but I can tell you that every day I know that Durham is a special place,' Coulter said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. 'Y'all have to hold on to the magic. ... The beauty of right now is that we have memories to make.' City Councilman Carl Rist said the reopening of Wheels is a model for how 'local government does good' and thanked residents for coming out. Find more information about the Wheels' weekend events and open skating at
