EA Skate-ing onto DS, Wii Balance Board

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpotPosted May 12, 2008 11:10 am PT

After months of rumors, EA confirms that its best-selling skateboarding game is coming to Nintendo's platforms; console edition will use Wii Fit peripheral.

Last week, Activision announced that its best-selling Tony Hawk franchise is being redesigned from the ground up. Though the publisher did not say so explicitly, a big reason for the reboot was that the venerable series lost ground last year to a brand-new skateboarding game, Electronic Arts' Skate. Skate outsold Tony Hawk's Proving Ground both on the Xbox 360 (458,000 to 160,100 units to date) and PlayStation 3 (127,600 to 67,100 units to date). However, the latter game still won out overall (770,100 to 585,800 units), thanks to being on three more platforms: the PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and Wii.

Now, with Tony Hawk sitting out 2008 on all platforms but the DS, EA is looking to expand the Skate franchise by launching it onto two more platforms. Following weeks of rumors, EA finally confirmed that it is prepping Skate It, a new entry in the series "exclusively for the Wii and Nintendo DS."

Skate It will take the original Skate's twin-analog-stick control scheme and adapt it to the two new devices. The DS edition will use the stylus to "string together" tricks, whereas the Wii edition will turn the Wii Remote into a virtual skateboard responsive to real-world motions. In addition, the Wii version will also incorporate the Wii Balance Board that will be released with Wii Fit next week.

Skate It has not yet been rated or priced, and EA has given only a wide-open release window of "coming in 2008."

54 Comments

  • awsomeness_guy

    Posted Jun 5, 2008 5:04 pm PT

    why does san vanelona have to be deserted? running into people is half the fun

  • captinman88

    Posted May 13, 2008 5:18 pm PT

    sounds cool

  • prioritymail

    Posted May 13, 2008 12:32 pm PT

    Id like to see how this one is gonna work out....

  • kavadias1981

    Posted May 13, 2008 3:25 am PT

    I'm going to give those of you who dont own Wii Fit a little bit of advice. When you first start out on the balance board you find out that your balance is quite poor. Practice loads on the Wii Fit balance games first to improve your real life balance and then try tackling the Tony Hawks game, otherwise you will find yourself messing up loads.

  • jivemaster

    Posted May 13, 2008 3:24 am PT

    Usage of the Wii fit board in other games sounds interesting, particularly in terms of a skating game. I did not even think of that possibly. Good stuff (provided they manage to pull it off).

  • veni-vidi-vici

    Posted May 13, 2008 3:14 am PT

    Skating with the balance board sounds fun.

  • v8nnwilder

    Posted May 13, 2008 1:20 am PT

    it's ideas like this that makes me want to get a Wii... I mean using the balancing board for skate is a brilliant idea... imagine SSX on there as well... If that happens and it works out as i see it in my head i will definitely be getting a Wii with the Wii Fit Balancing Board...

  • WllDan7

    Posted May 13, 2008 1:13 am PT

    This may just turn out good.

  • selbie

    Posted May 12, 2008 11:38 pm PT

    Snowboarding nao plz!!

  • djburnzy1

    Posted May 12, 2008 10:43 pm PT

    Might make the Wii Fit board actually worth something

  • dannyodwyer

    Posted May 12, 2008 6:01 pm PT

    yay!!!

  • chibi-acer

    Posted May 12, 2008 5:49 pm PT

    A real game adapted for the balance board? Sweet!

  • nate1222

    Posted May 12, 2008 5:18 pm PT

    Another cool reason to get a Wii. I figured the balance board would have devs conjuring up some goodies. Skate may be one of them.

  • bullsfan769

    Posted May 12, 2008 5:17 pm PT

    hmm i dont think this will be that cool, for me skating in real life beats the "realism" with the wii stuff but to those who dont skateboard, this might be pretty fun

  • onthe_dl

    Posted May 12, 2008 5:05 pm PT

    i don't see how it will work with the balance board, it made sense with the analog..

    oh well lets just wait and see

  • JetMoto6

    Posted May 12, 2008 4:04 pm PT

    A good direction for the Wii

  • patriots2871

    Posted May 12, 2008 3:59 pm PT

    i hope its going to be good

  • gin_rummy89

    Posted May 12, 2008 3:35 pm PT

    This could be hit or miss, i'd have to try it first.

  • IKKF

    Posted May 12, 2008 3:30 pm PT

    Oh, I hope it's good, but I think a huge appeal to Skate was the graphics. The Wii will have a problem with that, but I fear for the Balance Board being inaccurate when it comes to unfamiliar third-party developers, but then again I don't know how much EA does or does not know about the Balance Board.

  • speedjunkie4

    Posted May 12, 2008 3:29 pm PT

    skate is more suited for a analog stick then a Wii balance board.

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