Gaming “Our New Direction Means Making Some Tough Calls”: Hands-On With the Skate x Nike SB Collab, Full Circle Defends Controversial Paywall David Carcasole • at EDT Add on Google Full Circle has revealed its new collaboration with Nike, introducing Nike SB into Skate. EA and Full Circle have revealed a new Nike SB collab for Skate, as one of the most highly anticipated collabs finally joins the game. It also comes with a complete Nike-themed makeover to the Isle of Grom skatepark, and the introduction of Grom at night. The Nike event will be on from April 14 to May 5, during which all players will have access to the Isle of Grom. Afterwards, it's back to having to either buy a day pass to the island, or buy the premium Skate pass to access it. Which was the bit of the Isle of Grom's return that players didn't love when Season 3 arrived last month. A week after Full Circle was hit with layoffs, the studio went back on its promise to have no map areas locked behind a paywall and locked the Isle of Grom behind a paywall. Related Story Battlefield 6 Development Studios Reportedly Hit by Layoffs As Part of A ‘Realignment’ Process"We know there would be no Skate without our community, and we're dedicated to listening and adjusting wherever and whenever we can," began Deran Chung, senior creative director at Full Circle, in a presentation I attended before getting the chance to go hands-on with some of the new content from the Nike SB collab. "A few weeks ago, we announced the return to the Isle of Grom, and early access through the Skate premium pass, and look. We knew it wasn't going to be the most popular decision, and yeah, there were a lot of strong feelings shared about it, and we get it." Skate. "But the bottom line is, our new direction means making some tough calls and changes we believe are necessary for the long-term success and sustainability of the game. And while a lot of strong feelings were shared before, once Season 3 kicked off, and players saw all the updates with dark slides, and Skate Paddy's, and really started experiencing Grom, things really balanced out. All of this to say, that we are in fact listening, and we hear you. And while we may not be able to deliver everything the way you want right away, we are paying attention, and are doing our best to deliver a great Skate game today, and for the years to come." Chung addressed the paywall right off the top, and while no amount of words will likely get players upset about the paywall to change their minds, Chung is not wrong that community sentiment has seemingly turned somewhat more positive after the launch of Season 3. Sure, many are still upset about it, but there are many players who believe Grom is worth the price of entry, or don't mind that it's paid, but wish it were packaged differently. Wherever you sit on the decision to paywall Grom, it's clear from Chung's statement that it'll stay behind a paywall, at least for now. Skate. Skate. Skate. It's not exactly great to see Full Circle and EA go back on its pre-launch promise, but there's likely a lot of change coming EA's way over the next year as the buyout by Saudi Arabia PIF. So EA's live service revival of Skate adding a paywall where it previously promised not to might just be the least of the changes to come. But for now, let's focus on the other changes in Skate with this event and Season 3. Firstly, the new and improved Isle of Grom is definitely a lot of fun. As someone who has played this latest iteration of the Skate series in bursts, which is to say I'll check in for a bit, do some tricks, and hop off every once in a while, this version of Grom is great for just spending some time trying to get a nice clip, or do a challenge or two to pass a bit of time. It looks great at night, and like a lot of the game's community, I could spend hours trying the big gap jump from the top of the mega ramp to the skate park with the moon in the background. Skate.
