EA's eagerly awaited revival of the Skate franchise will necessitate a persistent internet connection. In an updated FAQ on the official blog, Full Circle provided a clear answer: "No," explaining that the game is envisioned as a "living, breathing massively multiplayer skateboarding sandbox that is always online and always evolving." This means players can expect both major updates like changes to the city over time and minor additions such as live events and other in-game activities.

Requiring an "always on" connection means that Skate cannot be played offline, regardless of whether players choose to engage in multiplayer modes or prefer solo sessions. Full Circle emphasized that this requirement is essential to realize their vision of a dynamic skateboarding world.

"That is probably not much of a surprise if you’ve been in our playtest," the developer noted, referencing the Always-On Playtest that began in September 2024. This phase is designed to evaluate the game in a continuously live environment, with servers running 24/7.

Scheduled for an early access launch in 2025, Skate's development journey was first announced at EA Play back in 2020. Since then, Full Circle has engaged the community through closed community playtests of early builds. Additionally, last month saw the introduction of microtransactions, allowing players to purchase a virtual currency called San Van Bucks (SVB) to acquire cosmetic items.

Full Circle aims to ensure a seamless experience with Skate's microtransaction system. "We know that using real money during a playtest is a little unusual, but we think it’s the best way to properly assess and adjust the system before launch," the team explained in today's blog update. They also reassured players that any money spent during the playtest will be converted into SVB upon the reset for the Early Access launch, with prices and other elements potentially fluctuating as part of the ongoing testing process.