EA says ‘Skate’ going free-to-play is designed to win over Gen Z

This comes from the EA earnings call that took place earlier this month, where the company was asked why it moved the Skate franchise from the company’s typical “premium plus live service” releases to a free-to-play model.

“When we look at Skate, I think what happened is our ambitions have continued to grow,” said EA CEO Andrew Wilson. “So as we thought about that, we really took a step back and evaluated how best we deliver that. And Laura [Miele] has been working with the teams on how they’ve thought through that puzzle,” (via TweakTown).

Wilson’s comments were then followed up by executive VP and COO Laura Miele, who said: “So one of the most important growth potentials that we have as a company is how we show up for Gen Z and Gen Alpha players [and] how they socially connect, and how they consume content.”

Gen Z refers to people born between the mid ‘90s and 2010s, whilst Gen Alpha refers to those born after 2010.

“We have some of the original creative leaders from the original Skate franchise. So much of the DNA and goodness that people loved about Skate exists in the team,” added Miele. “I think that Skate – back in the day Skate was a bit even ahead of its time. It was – a lot of the core motivation around our Skate experience was around creative self-expression and social connection and competition. We are bringing that to life in the biggest way we possibly can.”

Last month it was revealed that the new Skate will be a free-to-play “authentic evolution” of the franchise, which means it will include microtransactions. These won’t be loot boxes, pay-to-win, or restrict the maps or gameplay however.

In other news, Marvel’s Midnight Suns has been delayed again, and is now expected to release before March 2023.