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EA to 'SKATE' or Die on 360, PS3

Megapublisher confirms it is developing a Tony Hawk rival on next-gen consoles; pros Danny Way and PJ Ladd to appear.

Over the weekend, rumors surfaced that the rivalry between Electronic Arts and Activision was heating up. Word on the street was that EA, already a dominant force in the mainstream sports genre, was developing a skateboard game to compete with its archnemesis' ever-popular Tony Hawk franchise.

Danny Way jumping the Great Wall of China.

Danny Way jumping the Great Wall of China.

Today, EA made it official. It is indeed developing a title called SKATE for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Set for release in 2007, the game will feature the likenesses of several pro skaters with similar backgrounds to Tony Hawk. Danny Way, who, along with Hawk, was a member of Powell Peralta Skateboards' legendary Bones Brigade and is an X-Games gold-medal winner, will appear in SKATE. He'll be joined by fellow deck veteran PJ Ladd, who, like Way, is currently sponsored by the recently resurrected Plan B Skateboards. Way also jumped the Great Wall of China on his skateboard last year.

According to EA, SKATE will have a "control scheme [that] captures the true feel of skating." The company promised the game's "physics-driven animations" will give players a skating experience so "unique" that "no two tricks will ever be the same." SKATE's control scheme is apparently a reaction to the trick system used by Tony Hawk, which requires a combination of buttons to be pressed to perform a certain trick. EA's press release did not mention how--or if--the game would use the PS3 controller's motion-sensing capability or address its lack of force feedback.

SKATE is being developed by EA Black Box, a substudio of EA Canada that is based in Vancouver. The game has not yet been rated or priced, but it will "deliver all the style, fun, creativity, and culture of skateboarding without the countless hours of practice, broken bones, and hospital visits," according to EA.

152 Comments

  • bobbyXcore

    Posted Oct 19, 2007 9:07 am GMT

    SKATE is amazing. Graphics, Gameplay, Realism everything is so awesome. THPS was awesome till underground came out. I recommend this game to everyone!

  • OMGitsZAL

    Posted Sep 21, 2007 10:41 am GMT

    I just tried the skate demo, I have to say it was a lot more realistic than TH, but if you want realism, I always thought you should go outside and skate in real life.

    The camera angle is the main problem, after I finished playing, I got a headache. The new Flickit is not bad when it comes to flip tricks but for grabs, I don't see much of a difference, you still gotta hold a button then move the stick one way or another. The tricks look kind off limited and you'll probably get bored after you finished the game. The movie editor isn't great, but it's not bad for editing your best moves.

    So, all in all, I choose Tony Hawk's. It's way more fun, loads of tricks, rigging makes the areas almost like a sandbox and the fact you have your own little park where you can hold competitions with your friends!

    Don't know how many are actually gonna bother reading this, but that's what I think.

  • minimullen

    Posted Aug 25, 2007 9:39 pm GMT

    I played the skate demo and im gonna be honest, I like this game more than the tony hawk series in most ways, it truly does capture the TRUE feel of skating alot better

    for non skaters, i recommend tony hawk
    for skaters i reccomend skate

    The games demo owns, its SO fun!

  • vgplaya

    Posted Aug 24, 2007 5:30 pm GMT

    C'mon guys, why do people love one game and hate the other just because they are rivals? Both of them are good games(I tried the skate. demo. ROCK ON)(Any Tony Hawk game before Underground).

  • GtaGangstarrz

    Posted Jun 10, 2007 9:05 am GMT

    Rick you cant just go callin anyone who played Tony Hawk games because at a certain point in time everyone enjoyed the Tony Hawk series prior to Underground there was alot of realism so i don't know when you started payin attention to the games but take a look an THPS 2-4 an tell me different. I think im gonna choose both I'm almost forever loyal to Tony hawk because although a little unrealistic it's still extremely solid and maintains beautiful level design except (THP8). So to call me a poser you better know what you're talkin about. Danny Way, Chris Cole, and PJ Ladd are amazing but i still enjoy creatin myself.

  • GtaGangstarrz

    Posted Jun 10, 2007 9:05 am GMT

    Rick you cant just go callin anyone who played Tony Hawk games because at a certain point in time everyone enjoyed the Tony Hawk series prior to Underground there was alot of realism so i don't know when you started payin attention to the games but take a look an THPS 2-4 an tell me different. I think im gonna choose both I'm almost forever loyal to Tony hawk because although a little unrealistic it's still extremely solid and maintains beautiful level design except (THP8). So to call me a poser you better know what you're talkin about. Danny Way, Chris Cole, and PJ Ladd are amazing but i still enjoy creatin myself.

  • haesuse

    Posted May 30, 2007 12:31 pm GMT

    wow rick, u took this one a bit personaly eh? lol
    but i do agree in essence. this is gonna be for those that are into skateboarding and not into arcade style sci-fi freak show of tricks and jumps. But all thats said on paper and screenshots doesn't always get translated into gameplay 100%, so it will come down to how easy it is to pick the game up. Fact is that skating game fans are used to THPS and its very easy to just pick up and go style of play. i personaly would love to see this game just anihilate the hell out of THPS so i surely land my support to it!

  • measis

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 1:15 pm GMT

    i want this game :O

  • bagelbuster02

    Posted Feb 6, 2007 4:01 pm GMT

    this game is gonna be sick, realistic skateboarding is gonn be a lot more fun than tony hawk which lets you do practically anything

  • nanometric

    Posted Jan 31, 2007 12:40 am GMT

    @rick019 Thats the best rant I'v heard in a long time, good job!

  • rick019

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 6:48 pm GMT

    Just face it, if you are a fan of the Tony Hawk games you can pretty much call yourself a poser. EA is made by pro skaters for skaters not you little posers that think you know what you're talking about. You can't be dissin people like Danny Way or Chris Cole or PJ Ladd! They are amazing. All I've ever wanted is a game where things are believeable. Tony Hawk has failed in doing so and garaunteed EA will capture it. For the record Danny Way did jump the Great Wall of China, dropped in off of the Hard Rock Cafe Guitar, and set world records for furthest air while doing a 360 and highest air. If you don't know who Danny Way, Chris Cole, PJ Ladd, or Rob Dyrdek are you can pretty much crawl in a hole and die because you are a worthless poser. No one wants to grind telephone wires or trees or launch ten billion feet into the air! Skating isn't meant to be like that, real all the way is the only way to go. If you don't skate and are dissin on realistic skating do the skateboarding community a favor and jump off a bridge or run out into traffic. You will never understand if you do not skate each and every chance you get and actually understand what you're doing. I've skated for about 7 years now and I find the Tony Hawk games to be disgraceful. If you got beef you can pretty much shove it down your throat. And if you think EA is such a lame company for buying out other games, who cares really, that's business for yeh. Just cause they buy games out doesn't mean they can't make a skate game. If you haven't seen clips from it do some research, and if you think it's gonna be so lame how bout you make your own little skate game and quit complaining about it.

  • rick019

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 6:46 pm GMT

    Why won't these people leave my comment on here??? c'mon

    Just face it, if you are a fan of the Tony Hawk games you can pretty much call yourself a poser. EA is made by pro skaters for skaters not you little posers that think you know what you're talking about. You can't be dissin people like Danny Way or Chris Cole or PJ Ladd! They are the s**t. All I've ever wanted is a game where things are believeable. Tony Hawk has failed in doing so and garaunteed EA will capture it. For the record Danny Way did jump the Great Wall of China, dropped in off of the Hard Rock Cafe Guitar, and set world records for furthest air while doing a 360 and highest air. If you don't know who Danny Way, Chris Cole, PJ Ladd, or Rob Dyrdek are you can pretty much crawl in a hole and die because you are a worthless piece of s**t poser. No one wants to grind telephone wires or trees or launch ten billion feet into the air! Skating isn't meant to be like that, real all the way is the only way to go. If you don't skate and are dissin on realistic skating do the skateboarding community a favor and jump off a bridge or run out into traffic. You will never understand if you do not skate each and every chance you get and actually understand what you're doing. I've skated for about 7 years now and I find the Tony Hawk games to be disgraceful. If you got beef you can pretty much shove it down your throat. And if you think EA is such a lame company for buying out other games, who cares really, that's business for yeh. Just cause they buy games out doesn't mean they can't make a skate game. If you haven't seen clips from it do some research, and if you think it's gonna be so lame how bout you make your own little skate game and quit b**ching about it.

  • rick019

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 6:41 pm GMT

    Just face it, if you are a fan of the Tony Hawk games you can pretty much call yourself a poser. EA is made by pro skaters for skaters not you little posers that think you know what you're talking about. You can't be dissin people like Danny Way or Chris Cole or PJ Ladd! They are the s**t. All I've ever wanted is a game where things are believeable. Tony Hawk has failed in doing so and garaunteed EA will capture it. For the record Danny Way did jump the Great Wall of China, dropped in off of the Hard Rock Cafe Guitar, and set world records for furthest air while doing a 360 and highest air. If you don't know who Danny Way, Chris Cole, PJ Ladd, or Rob Dyrdek are you can pretty much crawl in a hole and die because you are a worthless piece of s**t poser. No one wants to grind telephone wires or trees or launch ten billion feet into the air! Skating isn't meant to be like that, real all the way is the only way to go. If you don't skate and are dissin on realistic skating do the skateboarding community a favor and jump off a bridge or run out into traffic. You will never understand if you do not skate each and every chance you get and actually understand what you're doing. I've skated for about 7 years now and I find the Tony Hawk games to be disgraceful. If you got beef you can pretty much shove it down your throat. And if you think EA is such a lame company for buying out other games, who cares really, that's business for yeh. Just cause they buy games out doesn't mean they can't make a skate game. If you haven't seen clips from it do some research, and if you think it's gonna be so lame how bout you make your own little skate game and quit b**ching about it.

  • rick019

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 6:36 pm GMT

    Just face it, if you are a fan of the Tony Hawk games you can pretty much call yourself a poser. EA is made by pro skaters for skaters not you little b!tches that think you know what you're talking about. You can't be dissin people like Danny Way or Chris Cole or PJ Ladd! They are the sh!t. All I've ever wanted is a game where things are believeable. Tony Hawk has failed in doing so and garaunteed EA will capture it. For the record Danny Way did jump the Great Wall of China, dropped in off of the Hard Rock Cafe Guitar, and set world records for furthest air while doing a 360 and highest air. If you don't know who Danny Way, Chris Cole, PJ Ladd, or Rob Dyrdek are you can pretty much crawl in a hole and die because you are a worthless piece of sh!t poser. No one wants to grind telephone wires or trees or launch ten billion feet into the air! Skating isn't meant to be like that, real all the way is the only way to go. If you don't skate and are dissin on realistic skating do the skateboarding community a favor and jump off a bridge or run out into traffic. You will never understand if you do not skate each and every chance you get and if you actually understand what the hell you're doing. I've skated for about 7 years now and I find the Tony Hawk games to be disgraceful. If you got beef you can pretty much shove it down your throat. Unbelieveable you dumb ass poser kids these days. And if you think EA is such a lame company for buying out other games, who cares really, that's business for yeh. Just cause they buy games out doesn't mean they can't make a skate game. If you haven't seen clips from it do some research, and if you think it's gonna be so lame how bout you make your own little skate game and quit b!tching about it.

  • rick019

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 6:29 pm GMT

    Just face it, if you are a fan of the Tony Hawk games you can pretty much call yourself a poser. EA is made by pro skaters for skaters not you little b!tches that think you know what you're talking about. You can't be dissin people like Danny Way or Chris Cole or PJ Ladd! They are the sh!t. All I've ever wanted is a game where things are believeable. Tony Hawk has failed in doing so and garaunteed EA will capture it. For the record Danny Way did jump the Great Wall of China, dropped in off of the Hard Rock Cafe Guitar, and set world records for furthest air while doing a 360 and highest air. If you don't know who Danny Way, Chris Cole, PJ Ladd, or Rob Dyrdek are you can pretty much crawl in a hole and die because you are a worthless piece of sh!t poser. No one wants to grind telephone wires or trees or launch ten billion feet into the air! Skating isn't meant to be like that, real all the way is the only way to go. If you don't skate and are dissin on realistic skating do the skateboarding community a favor and jump off a bridge or run out into traffic. You will never understand if you do not skate each and every chance you get and if you actually understand what the hell you're doing. I've skated for about 7 years now and I find the Tony Hawk games to be disgraceful. If you got beef you can pretty much shove it down your throat. Unbelieveable you dumb ass poser kids these days. And everyone talking about EA buying everyone out, wouldn't you if you had the money? Of course you would, so just shut up and enjoy what you've got because I'm sick of hearing you're bullsh!t reasons why EA can't make a skate game. If it's gonna be so sh!tty you make one.

  • Stukes

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 2:52 pm GMT

    umm...y? seriously y does EA need to go into skate games? it already has the freakn NFL all to itself. EA is a freakn behemoth, but (i think) will fall fat on its face on this game.

  • Streetrider9873

    Posted Jan 15, 2007 8:38 pm GMT

    \/ \/ \/ First of all, Danny Way really did jump the great wall of China, and second, not every1 can just go outside and have a good skate session. thats why some need SKATE. gnar

  • mobbdep

    Posted Jan 14, 2007 7:39 am GMT

    i dont think this game will be as realistic as everyone is thinking. its a pic with danny way jumping the great wall of china. also who the in hell wants to see some realistic crap. if u want it to be so realistic go outside and skateboard yourself

  • PantsOfFury

    Posted Jan 9, 2007 9:33 am GMT

    I dunno, realistic skateboarding wouldn't really make an interesting game. Even though it's not realistic, it's still much more entertaining to watch a guy do a combo for days and do crazy stuff, than watch some guy do a kickflip or a 360.

  • xRandyx

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 7:19 pm GMT

    finally, Tony Hawk is pretty much rich as hell, so he doesn't have to make good games, he just makes games that him and his friends like. I never really cared for ea, but still its something new.

  • falconx_333

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 4:37 pm GMT

    finally a realistic skateboarding game. i skate every day in real life and the tony hawk games make skating look all easy getting air and grinding trees and fences which is totally unrealistic like its nothing. no one can grind power lines and grind for a half mile in one combo in real life. i have a feeling this will be way better than the tony hawk games. and its got chris cole. hes f**kin awsome. if u dont know who he is u arnt a real skateboarder. check out his scene from new blood on you tube or somthin. hes insane at 360s. that backside 360 kickflip down that gap is insane.

  • s3ns3sfail3d

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 11:53 am GMT

    Basically Tony Hawk franchise needs to be pushed...the best one was 3 and that was forever ago...or maybe it wasnt because they basically shyte them out periodically.

  • eminem369

    Posted Jan 1, 2007 9:29 pm GMT

    Its seems really kool and realistic and i think people atleast need games like this one ...but i think THPS is jsut for fun and having a good time i mean cmon its just a gamr but they still need a game that shows realism like SKATE ill still play both but i think SKATE will have a big impact on skateboard games....

    (and no im not a hippie)\

    =]

  • nanometric

    Posted Dec 29, 2006 1:31 am GMT

    And @ everyone else who says this game sux and no one will buy it! fuk I don't freekin care, only if I get it!!!! i'm so sickin'tired of the unrealism THPS brings, this is somethin new AND REAL!!!! I bet it will score alot more than tony!!! and I don't understand how "unknown" sk8boarder names can make the game worse?

    P.S. I 100% agree with you houston_88

  • nanometric

    Posted Dec 29, 2006 1:15 am GMT

    @Element3x3

    WTF??? Even I know who is PJ ladd. how can you call yourself a skateborder... then again you probably skate for a month

  • SubMachineGun_K

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 5:49 pm GMT

    no lie i have to agree with saludatiger.

    this is the game i would talk about when we played tony hawk. i always wanted a game that would bring skating back to the skaters.
    no more "big air" and "backflips" or thousand foot krooks.

    this is supposed to be real ass skateboarding. and im up for it.

  • saludatiger

    Posted Dec 1, 2006 7:37 pm GMT

    i too saw this game on rob and big and i thought it looked way better than tony hawk

  • TreOnAMeathook

    Posted Dec 1, 2006 3:52 pm GMT

    I believe this game is gonna be way better than Tony Hawk P8, because it's actually realistic. You don't get, like, 80 feet of air, do 7 tricks and land in a switch fingerflip 5-0. That kind of stuff gets boring so fast. And the "Nail the Trick" feature is kinda cool, but it's still ultra-unrealistic. 360 hardflip to late tre-flip to pop-shuv, come on. 'SKATE' has good physics and actually captures skateboarding. THP8 is fantasy.

    'SKATE' is what the skateboard video game genre needs. Thrasher Skate and Destroy for PS1 was also really good but no one liked it, and that was so mind boggling. People don't want realistic, it seems? I don't get it.

  • jhotmann

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 11:42 am GMT

    "Skating is for overated and for Emoes so no way I'LL EVER anyway."

    i dont know about other places but all the emo people i know dont skateboard...but anyways i think this game looks pretty sweet compaired to the tony hawk series which is crazy unrealistic.

  • ngamer513

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 8:29 am GMT

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7kQgRws_94 check out the game

  • ngamer513

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 8:24 am GMT

    i just saw them playin this on mtv on that rob and big show...looks pretty damn sweet

  • houston_88

    Posted Nov 3, 2006 11:09 pm GMT

    :
    Why would you make a skateboarding game without Tony Hawk, Bob Burnquist, and/or Bam Margera? Come on EA. You already make everything. This is lame.


    GIVE ME A FUNKING BREAK...that sort of narrow minded **** comes from kids who dont skate. you only know them three skateboarders becuase your to fat and lazy to leave your house so you replicate skating with your thumbs and a joypad.

    for all the other haters of the characters out there. search for pj ladds wonderfull horrible life on DVD and then come back and say hes ****, because theres no way your brain would co-operate with you trying to type such rubbish.

  • thawk325

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 1:44 pm GMT

    hey uhh saiyon dragoon, u can go **** urself if u kno wat i mean?

  • Giraffe811

    Posted Sep 26, 2006 10:41 am GMT

    Alright.... If you want to know whos Pj ladd he is one of the best skater out there i say he is better than Bam (even though anyone is!)

    Go to YOUTUBE.COM and type in PJ LADD, he's good!!

    while you there type in CHRIS COLE he's the best skater ou there!!

  • urdailybeatdown

    Posted Sep 24, 2006 9:04 am GMT

    Why are they comparing Danny Way to Tony Hawk?

  • Element3x3

    Posted Sep 23, 2006 8:34 pm GMT

    i am very excited to see a new skateboard game.... i skateboard myself and i would love to see a realistic skateboarding game.... but theres no way this could beat tony hawk..... with riders like pj ladd???? i dont know him so how are people who dont even skate going to know him??

  • Giraffe811

    Posted Sep 21, 2006 7:35 pm GMT

    It better not be Gay

  • _Sam_

    Posted Sep 21, 2006 5:25 pm GMT

    doesn't seem that special

  • SaiyanDragoon

    Posted Sep 21, 2006 3:19 pm GMT

    Skating is for overated and for Emoes so no way I'LL EVER anyway.

  • Built

    Posted Sep 21, 2006 12:45 pm GMT

    not too exited bout it... but ill keep my head up

  • morororo

    Posted Sep 21, 2006 8:45 am GMT

    gogkum. EA dont make burnout, criterion do. EA are just a huge publisher and do actually publish some good games like The Sims and Burnout like you mention, they also develop games but most of poo. I dont play Madden, I live in England and hate American football. Madden hasnt come particularly far since it was on the Megadrive, like most of EA made games, just yearly updates a patch could have fixed, yet you have to buy full price games instead.

    The EA hate that's going around isnt blind, you need to open your eyes. EA has such a huge grip on the gaming market, I wouldnt be surprised to see an EA console next generation. I own lots of EA games, not by choice but because they publish every other game out there. Then the games they develop are just rehashes of previously successful franchises, but the games are always half baked, like The Godfather.

    I dont hold much faith in this Skate, I love skating and would love to play a really fun realistic skate game but I am afraid this will be more like SSX than Thrasher.

  • gogokun

    Posted Sep 21, 2006 4:05 am GMT

    EA does NOT make poor games, morororo. The only poor games EA has ever made were the FIRST sports titles for the 360. Honestly, can you tell me that Burnout and FIght Night are bad franchises? There are many more that you would probably just blindly hate without trying (like MVP for example) but those two are more than enough to diffuse you statement of "EA knows feck about making decent games". I really getting sick of all this blind EA hate that's going around. Why don't you actually play something other than Madden (a game I like, by the way) and play some of their flagship series. You'd be suprised.

  • morororo

    Posted Sep 21, 2006 3:13 am GMT

    The competition is good, but not from EA. EA make poor games, very poor games. They wont bring anything new to the genre, just rip off Tony and put a hip hop soundtrack on it.

    But Tony Hawk games are crap now. For anyone that actually likes skateboarding they are. I want a game that is realistic and proper hard to land tricks so you feel proper gnarly when you do. Like that Thrasher game on the PS1. It was pretty crappy but it was so hard you felt so good when you finally landed a kickflip to tail slide. Tony Hawks has lost the magic since about #3 so someone needs to make a new skate game, personally I think the guys that make Amped should make one. Just not EA, they know feck all about making decent games.

  • Screamteam411

    Posted Sep 20, 2006 10:03 pm GMT

    The only reason anybody bought the very first Tony Hawk game was that it was a recognizable name. It then became a dominant franchise and everyone knows it and expects great things from it. No one will buy SKATE, and its run will probably not go very far.

  • Azuravian

    Posted Sep 20, 2006 9:18 pm GMT

    Actually, Danny Way was a member of the Bones Brigade. Whoever said that the Bones Brigade was just those 5 got it way wrong. The Bones Brigade was started before Tony Hawk had even gone pro. All told, the Brigade has had over 25 members at various points.

  • Shingo

    Posted Sep 20, 2006 6:56 pm GMT

    Why would you make a skateboarding game without Tony Hawk, Bob Burnquist, and/or Bam Margera? Come on EA. You already make everything. This is lame.

  • wattsinaname

    Posted Sep 20, 2006 4:37 pm GMT

    for the record....
    danny way was never a member of the bone's brigade. he did appear briefly in the scene at underwood's ramp in the search for animal chin, but that's about the extent of his powell appearances. flow team status. the bone's brigade itself was comprised of only five members: tony hawk, mike mcgill, tommy guererro, lance mountain and steve cabellero.

  • paullywog

    Posted Sep 20, 2006 4:28 pm GMT

    once ea sees that tony hawk is the king, they'll realize they only sell in genres where there's no one else to fill the gap. Ha, EA! So SUCK!

  • l33t_m4573r

    Posted Sep 20, 2006 3:59 pm GMT

    I really don't understand the guys who are mad at EA for trying to compete with Tony Hawk. I don't see the problem, all I see is an opportunity for both companies to push themselves to make the best game. Competition is an absolute requirment in all genres otherwise there gonna fizzle out sooner or later as were seeing with the most recent Hawk games. Good or bad, SKATE is gonna help out the genre so theres real reason to complain here just because a publisher you don't like is going to make a series you like fight for it's top spot.

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