IGN Skate early access review delivers a devastating 4/10 score, highlighting how EA’s long-awaited skateboarding revival maintains the franchise’s excellent control system while fundamentally betraying everything else fans loved about the original games. Reviewer Luke Reilly describes the September 16, 2025 early access launch as “aggressively different in tone, style, and spirit” from its predecessors, comparing the experience to “the Fortnitification of Skate” that represents “the most disappointing thing to happen to skate culture since razor scooters.”
Controls Excellence Overshadowed by Design Failures
The IGN Skate early access review acknowledges that the core skateboarding mechanics remain supreme, with Luke Reilly praising the “faithful facsimile of the incredible feel of the old games” through the beloved Flick-It control system. The right stick trick execution, left stick turning, trigger-based grabs, and precise grind alignment mechanics retain the “approachable yet deceptively deep system” that distinguished Skate from competitors like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and simulation-focused titles like Session.
However, this mechanical excellence becomes meaningless when surrounded by systems that actively detract from the experience. The review emphasizes that maintaining control quality “means little if the rest of it is constantly turning me off,” creating a frustrating disconnect between what works and what doesn’t in this reimagined franchise entry.
Mobile Game-Style Progression System Criticism
Central to the IGN Skate early access review’s harsh criticism is the implementation of what Reilly calls “mobile game-style progression” that transforms the organic exploration and creativity of previous games into structured, gamified task completion. This approach mirrors free-to-play mobile games through daily challenges, refresh timers, and monetization hooks that interrupt the flow-state skateboarding experiences that defined the original trilogy.
The progression system forces players through predetermined objectives rather than encouraging organic skill development and creative expression. This design philosophy represents a fundamental misunderstanding of what made Skate compelling, turning skateboarding into a checklist rather than a form of digital self-expression and creative exploration that resonated with both skateboarding enthusiasts and casual players.
Dialogue and Writing Quality Concerns
The IGN Skate early access review describes the game’s writing as featuring “embarrassing dialogue” and “dud dialogue” that actively detracts from immersion and authenticity. This criticism extends to character interactions, tutorial explanations, and environmental storytelling that fails to capture the authentic skate culture atmosphere that grounded previous entries in believable urban environments and communities.
Poor writing becomes particularly problematic in a game attempting to represent skate culture, which has its own distinct voice, attitude, and authenticity standards. The dialogue quality issues suggest a development team disconnected from the cultural context they’re attempting to portray, creating a sterile, corporate interpretation of skateboarding rather than an authentic representation of the community and lifestyle.
Art Style and Visual Direction Disappointment
Visual presentation receives significant criticism in the IGN Skate early access review, with Reilly describing the “cutesy art style” and “trite art style” as fundamentally incompatible with skateboarding’s authentic aesthetic traditions. The sanitized visual approach removes the gritty, urban authenticity that made previous Skate games feel connected to real skateboarding culture and environments.
This artistic direction reflects broader design decisions that prioritize broad appeal and monetization-friendly presentation over authentic representation of skateboarding culture. The result is a game that looks more like a corporate interpretation of skateboarding designed for mass market consumption rather than a genuine celebration of skate culture created by and for people who understand the scene’s visual language and aesthetic values.
Audio Design Excellence Amid Overall Failure
Despite widespread criticism, the IGN Skate early access review identifies exceptional audio design as one of few genuine strengths, praising the “nuanced array of skateboarding sounds” including “the hiss of spinning wheels, the friction of plywood on varied surfaces, and the clink of metal on metal.” This attention to audio detail demonstrates technical competence while creating “an almost meditative rhythm” during successful skating sessions.
The audio excellence makes the overall package more frustrating because it demonstrates the development team’s capability for authentic skateboarding representation in some areas while failing catastrophically in others. Quality sound design proves that creating authentic skateboarding experiences remains possible, making the failures in other areas seem more avoidable and disappointing.
Online-Only Structure and MMO Elements
The IGN Skate early access review touches on the always-online structure featuring 149 other players in shared San Vansterdam environments, creating MMO-style experiences that differ dramatically from the focused, personal skateboarding sessions that characterized previous franchise entries. This multiplayer-first approach prioritizes social features and community engagement over individual skill development and creative expression.
While online functionality enables sharing custom spots and collaborative creation through drag-and-drop ramp systems, it also introduces technical dependencies, server requirements, and social pressures that can interrupt the zen-like flow states that made previous Skate games therapeutic and meditative. The always-online requirement represents another barrier between players and the pure skateboarding experience they seek.
Free-to-Play Business Model Implications
Though not explicitly detailed in the IGN Skate early access review, the free-to-play business model underlying the mobile game-style progression creates inherent conflicts between player experience and revenue generation. This monetization approach encourages design decisions that prioritize engagement metrics and purchase conversion over authentic skateboarding simulation and creative freedom.
Free-to-play games typically rely on friction, time gates, and purchase incentives that conflict with skateboarding’s emphasis on flow, creativity, and organic skill development. The business model mismatch explains many of the design decisions that frustrate longtime franchise fans while failing to deliver the authentic skateboarding experience that could attract new players to the culture and community.
Comparison to Original Trilogy Expectations
The IGN Skate early access review emphasizes how the new game fails to meet expectations established by the beloved original trilogy, particularly regarding tone, authenticity, and respect for skateboarding culture. Previous games balanced accessibility with depth while maintaining genuine connection to real skateboarding through environmental design, character representation, and gameplay mechanics that encouraged creativity over completion.
This comparison highlights how franchise revivals can damage beloved properties when development priorities shift away from core values toward market trends and monetization strategies. The review suggests that longtime fans would prefer playing “any of the originals, old and creaky as they may be” rather than engaging with this sanitized, commercialized interpretation of their cherished skateboarding experiences.
Early Access Development Considerations
The IGN Skate early access review acknowledges the unfinished nature of the September 2025 launch while noting that fundamental design philosophy issues are unlikely to change during ongoing development. Luke Reilly admits uncertainty about “what Skate will look like in 12 months time, or when it’s no longer in early access” while expressing doubt that core problems can be addressed without fundamental restructuring.
Early access development typically focuses on content additions, bug fixes, and feature refinements rather than wholesale design philosophy changes. The fundamental issues identified in IGN’s review – mobile game progression, poor dialogue, inappropriate art direction – represent architectural decisions that would require significant development resources to address properly, making meaningful improvement seem unlikely within reasonable timeframes.
Community Reception and Player Response
The IGN Skate early access review reflects broader community disappointment documented across social media, Reddit discussions, and other gaming publications, with many players expressing similar frustrations about design decisions that prioritize monetization over authentic skateboarding experiences. Reddit comments echo Reilly’s criticism about “some of the worst writing I’ve ever seen in a game” while praising the underlying control system.
This widespread negative reception suggests that the problems identified in IGN’s review represent systematic issues rather than individual reviewer bias or unfair expectations. The consistency of criticism across different sources and community voices validates concerns about the game’s direction and design priorities that fail to serve either longtime fans or potential new players seeking authentic skateboarding experiences.
Industry Context and Franchise Management
The IGN Skate early access review occurs within broader industry discussions about franchise revivals, free-to-play monetization, and corporate versus authentic cultural representation in gaming. The failure to capture skateboarding’s authentic spirit reflects common problems when large publishers attempt to revive beloved properties using contemporary monetization strategies that conflict with original design values.
This situation demonstrates how franchise value can be damaged when business considerations override creative vision and cultural authenticity. The harsh review score and community backlash suggest that players remain sensitive to corporate exploitation of beloved properties, particularly when those properties represent specific cultural communities and authentic lifestyle experiences like skateboarding.
Technical Performance and Platform Considerations
While the IGN Skate early access review focuses primarily on design and cultural issues, it notes that the PC version tested performs adequately from a technical standpoint, with the control system functioning smoothly and audio implementation working properly. However, technical competence cannot overcome fundamental design problems that make the experience unenjoyable despite functional implementation.
The cross-platform availability on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC ensures wide accessibility, but this broad reach becomes meaningless if the core experience fails to satisfy players regardless of their platform choice. Technical accessibility without experiential quality represents missed opportunities for franchise revival and community engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What score did IGN give Skate early access?
IGN awarded Skate early access a harsh 4/10 score, with reviewer Luke Reilly describing it as “fundamentally irritating and unsatisfying in every other way” despite maintaining excellent control mechanics.
What are the main criticisms in IGN’s Skate review?
Primary criticisms include mobile game-style progression, embarrassing dialogue, cutesy art style that conflicts with skate culture, and overall “Fortnitification” that removes authenticity from the skateboarding experience.
Does the new Skate game have good controls?
Yes, IGN praises the controls as “a faithful facsimile of the incredible feel of the old games” with the beloved Flick-It system remaining “supreme” for skateboarding simulation and trick execution.
How does new Skate compare to the original games?
According to IGN’s review, the new Skate is “aggressively different in tone, style, and spirit” from the originals, failing to capture the authentic skateboarding culture and creative freedom that defined the beloved trilogy.
Is Skate early access worth playing?
IGN suggests there’s “currently just no appeal here whatsoever” to play this over the original games, describing it as leaving “a horrible first impression” despite some technical strengths.
What platforms is Skate early access available on?
Skate early access launched September 16, 2025, on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with mobile versions planned for later release.
Will Skate improve after early access?
IGN expresses uncertainty about future improvements, noting that fundamental design philosophy issues like mobile game progression and inappropriate tone would require major changes unlikely during typical early access development.
Conclusion
The IGN Skate early access review’s devastating 4/10 score represents more than individual reviewer disappointment – it reflects systematic failure to understand what made the original Skate trilogy beloved among both skateboarding enthusiasts and gaming communities. While the retention of excellent control mechanics demonstrates technical competence, the wholesale abandonment of authentic skate culture in favor of mobile game monetization strategies, embarrassing dialogue, and sanitized visual presentation creates an experience that feels more like corporate exploitation than genuine franchise revival. Luke Reilly’s comparison to “the Fortnitification of Skate” captures the fundamental tension between authentic cultural representation and contemporary free-to-play business models that prioritize engagement metrics over experiential quality. As the game continues early access development, the core design philosophy issues identified in IGN’s review seem unlikely to change without major development restructuring that would essentially require rebuilding the game from scratch. For longtime fans seeking the therapeutic, creative skateboarding experiences that defined the original trilogy, IGN’s harsh assessment confirms that this revival fails to deliver the authentic skateboarding simulation they’ve waited over a decade to experience again.