Live service games are intended to keep players engaged for as long as possible by continuously adding more to the game. Of course, live service games come with their pros and cons, yet Skate has some serious potential to overcome the obstacles that go along with its new features and continue the Skate legacy.
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How Live Service and Free-to-Play Features Will Benefit Skate
The main draw to live service games is their ability to remain relevant and interesting even years after the release. Most live service titles are multiplayer games, and rightly so because multiplayer games often have to adapt to new, popular features and release new content in order to stay relevant. A perfect example of a live service game is Fortnite, which was released five years ago but still remains one of the most popular games in the world. Though Skate is not nearly as multiplayer-focused as other live service games, much of its content and features could benefit from receiving regular updates.
Live service implies that Skate should regularly feature new content updates that could include anything from new clothing, boards, or gear to entirely new skate parks. Since these are the core unlockables in previous games, it makes perfect sense for EA to want to update the content to remain relevant and possibly even allow player input to influence what content is added. As shown in the recently released Skate alpha trailer, the developer is making it a point to listen to the players and add features fans want to see in the game.
The free-to-play feature almost always comes side by side with live service games because it makes sense for games of this ilk to be released for free, but charge players for particular services or content. The main benefit tied to this type of marketing is that it allows players to purchase content or the ability to unlock content (through a season pass or similar progression system) only if they choose to purchase it, but games often also allow for a free progression system that still contains new and updated unlockables. Past iterations of Skate have based their progression system on the player gaining popularity within the skateboarding world and their progression allowed them to purchase new gear. So releasing the newest Skate game as a free-to-play live service game is essentially expanding the game’s original progression system to a larger scale that would include updated content.
Possible Negative Side Effects of a Live Service Skate
Live service and free-to-play games do have their benefits, but there are also a few downsides to providing any game for free. The most glaring qualm fans have with the concept is the possibility of players being able to pay-to-win or essentially spend money to purchase in-game items that may give them an unfair advantage. Fortunately, Skate is not nearly as competitive or reliant on particular pieces of gear or equipment when compared to other live service games, but the idea of players being able to unlock particular items with money instead of skill tends to diminish the entire reward system. EA has said that it does not intend to implement features like these, but players have heard similar from other games before, including the notorious Diablo Immortal. This is not to doubt EA, but just a statement of what has happened with other free-to-play live service titles.
Since Skate puts such an emphasis on creativity and customization, much of the unlockable content will likely be locked behind a progression system that players will have to pay for in order to participate, at least in the best cosmetic rewards. Though it makes sense from a business perspective for free-to-play games to have microtransactions, blocking off some of the player’s creative options could lead to frustration and undermine the entire customization process. It is unclear exactly how Skate will proceed with being a free-to-play live service game, but it will have to create a good balance of new content and reasonable pricing and distribution if the game wants to succeed in its new direction.
Skate is currently in development.
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