August 26, 2025 Get Ready to Explore San Vansterdam, an Ever-Evolving Skateboarding Sandbox, and Experience the Best Skateboarding Gameplay in the Franchise Watch the skate. Early Access Release Date Trailer HERE. REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and Full Circle announced that skate., the next chapter of the award-winning skateboarding video game franchise, will launch into Early Access on September 16 for PlayStation® 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation® 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store and EA app. skate. is free-to-download, cross-platform,* and cross-progression,* making it as accessible as possible for both longtime skate. franchise fans, and newcomers alike.Set in the vibrant city of San Vansterdam, skate. is a multiplayer skateboarding destination offering a massive open world where players discover unique skate spots, land insane tricks and connect - or compete - with friends online. With four unique neighborhoods - Hedgemont, Gullcrest, Market Mile and Brickswich - each offering its own distinct vibe and challenges, the city is a huge playground for skaters. From parks and plazas to rooftops and massive ramps, every corner is packed with skateable spots, including the House of Rolling Reverence, a former church transformed into a trick haven for skaters.At the core of skate. is the restored and improved Flick-It System, brought back to life through the Frostbite™ Engine to deliver the best skateboarding experience we have ever offered. With unparalleled precision and control, Flick-It brings the magic of the franchise back to life for a new generation of players. skate. also“skate. is not just a return, it’s a complete evolution of the franchise that’s built to last," said Mike McCartney, Executive Producer of skate. “Our goal with skate. is to capture the freedom, creative expression and community of skateboarding, and share it with as many people as possible. From day one, our priority has been to honor the legacy of the franchise while pushing it into a bold new future - one built in partnership with our players.”In skate., players can discover new ways to explore and get vertical with new off-board controls, giving them total freedom to roam, climb and find epic new spots. Additional features like Quick Drop allow players to place ramps, rails, benches and more anywhere in the world to fine-tune their perfect spot. skate. offers players the ability to find their own fun with endless activities, including rotating world map challenges - such as Line Challenges, Own The Spot and Sessions - as well as high-energy Throwdowns with friends. The new Spectate mode lets players instantly find the action and use Spectaport to jump straight into any live session.Collaborative development with skate. fans and the community have always been a priority throughout our development process. Player feedback has been welcome all throughout playtesting and something Full Circle will continue to look at during the game’s Early Access period. During Early Access, players can expect to see new content every season, offering fresh challenges, cosmetics, music, world updates, and new events each season.“Community is the heart of skateboarding, and it’s the heart of skate.,” said Jeff Seamster, Head of Creative on skate. “From day one, we’ve aimed to create an open, welcoming space shaped by players. We’ve built this game alongside our community - listening, learning and evolving together. Whether you’re a seasoned skater or just dropped in, skate. is a place to express yourself, connect and grow. No gatekeepers, no barriers - just a city built for skating and a community that keeps it alive. Early Access is a huge milestone in that journey, and we’re hyped to keep growing San Vansterdam with our crew around the world.”skate. launches into Early Access on September 16 on PlayStation® 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation® 4, Xbox One & PC via Steam, Epic Games Store and EA app. Stay tuned - there’s much more to come from skate.For more information on skate., visit: https://www.ea.com/games/skate/skate.*Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://go.ea.com/skate-cross-play for details.PRESS ASSETS ARE AVAILABLE AT EAPressPortal.comAbout Electronic ArtsElectronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company develops and delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and personal computers.In fiscal year 2025, EA posted GAAP net revenue of approximately $7.5 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality brands such as EA SPORTS FC™, Battlefield™, Apex Legends™, The Sims™, EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL, EA SPORTS™ College Football, Need for Speed™, Dragon Age™, Titanfall™, Plants vs. Zombies™ and EA SPORTS F1®. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS FC, Battlefield, Need for Speed, Apex Legends, The Sims, Dragon Age, Titanfall, and Plants vs. Zombies are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL, and F1 are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. Jino Talens Integrated Comms Director jtalens@ea.com Source: Electronic Arts Inc. Multimedia Files:

Chris Kerr, Senior Editor, News, GameDeveloper.comAugust 22, 20254 Min ReadVia Evil Empire/UbisoftThe Rogue Prince of Persia developer Evil Empire doesn't believe it's worth entering early access in the current climate unless your project is at least 90 percent complete. Speaking to Game Developer at Gamescom 2025, studio marketing manager Matthew Houghton and art director Dylan Eurlings shared their thoughts on the state of contemporary early access campaigns and suggested the system is becoming increasingly risky. You might recognize Evil Empire as the studio that has spent years helping Dead Cells developer Motion Twin expand the franchise with DLC and free updates. Since May 2024, however, the studio has also been shepherding The Rogue Prince of Persia through an Steam Early Access campaign that culminated in an official launch on August 20.Yet, due to a variety of factors including shifting player expectations, the team had to tweak their pre-release strategy in a bid to lure in players. As a result, the studio has become more wary of early access in general. "To be honest, the way I see it now is that unless you're coming into early access with a 90 percent complete game, don't do it. Because players, they don't see it as early access, they see it a game to play," says Houghton. He adds that players are entitled to express their views because they're often paying money to play early access titles, but he feels that sifting viewpoint means consumers are less willing to follow games on an early access journey that will often result in significant changes. Related:Eurlings echoes that point and suggests that a perceived lack of polish and content can now be a "huge issue" during early access campaigns. He explains that Evil Empire was even forced to rethink their original roadmap after the earliest versions of Rogue Prince of Persia failed to meet internal expectations."Initially we wanted to do quick updates. Very fast. In the end, we took a bit more time to ensure that each update would be a bit more chunky," he adds, noting that pivot resulted in a steady cadence of monthly updates that each packed a fair bit of clout. That shift came after the team conceded that early access numbers "weren't great." Houghton explains the project initially attracted just under 1,000 peak concurrent users (CCU). After they flipped the script, the title started to pull in around 4,000 CCU. "That's why we wanted to prioritize chunky content—there would be an impact every time," says Houghton, before acknowledging the title still hadn't quite met the team's CCU expectations even after that switch-up. Related:"Of course you listen to the feedback and take the ideas [on board], but you have to feed them through a filter."It underlines the risks that come with early access, and Houghton specifically wonders whether some developers who can't hit that 90 percent completion benchmark before launching into early access might instead be better off conducting beta tests through Steam instead. If you're curious as to where Rogue Prince of Persia was when it entered Early Access, Houghton suggests the project was roughly 60 percent complete. Eurlings, was slightly more conservative, and claimed it was more like 50 percent. We suggested they meet in the middle. "Steam has evolved now. You can do beta tests and playtests through Steam. I think that's become more like Early Access. People aren't paying for it and your project might be a bit janky [...] but that's okay because they're still going to give feedback and it's not going to be a disaster if it's not great yet," continues Houghton. When asked whether Evil Empire would consider revisiting Early Access in the future, Houghton isn't so certain."I don't know. I'm going to be honest. I've been put off by it, because especially now people are so used to games coming out and then doing live ops for three, four, and five years—so why go with early access and have to deal with the stigma that's around it? I think I would do playtests and then just release," he explains. Related:Houghton adds that teams who are still convinced early access is right for them must have complete conviction in their creative vision—otherwise they might risk being derailed. "Of course you listen to the feedback and take the ideas [on board], but you have to feed them through a filter, otherwise you'll have too many cooks. [...] You'll have people who are super enthusiastic who think you can't do anything wrong, and then you get the people who are just super negative and people who are just throwing ideas at you that you know won't work in the game." It's a situation that can feel overwhelming, with Houghton explaining that Rogue Prince of Persia's game director found the onslaught "too much" at times. "You have to stick to your vision," says Houghton. "Listen, but just cherry pick [your feedback] carefully."Game Developer attended Gamescom 2025 via the Gamescom Media Ambassador Program, which covered flights and accommodation.Read more about:GamescomTop StoriesInterviewsAbout the AuthorChris KerrSenior Editor, News, GameDeveloper.comGame Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.See more from Chris KerrDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Meat 'em up.Amazon Games and developer Glowmade have announced a release date at last for their co-op, dungeon-delving party game, King of Meat.Announced last year, the game is heading to PS5 on 7th October, 2025, as revealed in the new trailer:Read

After five months of Early Access updates and playtesting, it is my pleasure to present the full release of Midnight Murder Club. Play Video I’m Eric Feurstein, Game Director on Midnight Murder Club from Velan Studios. First thing’s first, I want to thank everyone who participated in all the open betas, playtests and the Early Access phase of Midnight Murder Club. Without you all hunting each other in the pitch-black halls of the Wormwood Manor, we couldn’t have gotten the game to where it needed to be. And for anyone joining us for the first time. Let me be the first to welcome you to the Midnight Murder Club. Slip on your mask, turn on your flashlight, grab your gun, and invite your friends… The shadows are waiting. You’re cordially invited… Midnight Murder Club is a game of hide, seek, and shoot in a pitch-black mansion. We wanted to make a first-person shooter that felt just as much like a party game, where it’s tense and spooky one moment, then chaotic and hilarious the next. When you’re alone in the dark, sound becomes everything. With our dynamic proximity chat, every whisper, scream, and footstep gives away your enemy’s position as well as your own. And while your flashlight gives you information, it also paints a target on your back to anyone nearby. Half the fun is that risk-reward calculation: do you flip on your light, hoping to catch someone by surprise, or do you stay in the dark, hoping someone else gives away their position first? Either way, when the gun smoke clears and the bodies hit the floor, laughter fills the room as the tension’s released and players respawn in the darkness, planning their revenge. Co-op PVE mode: Graveyard Shift With today’s release, we are proud to introduce a brand-new game mode: Graveyard Shift. Graveyard Shift can be played single player or with a friend. In Graveyard Shift, you must search the shadows for cursed Golden Relics hidden all throughout the mansion. Once found, you must quickly bring them back to the waiting Vault and throw it in where it will be cleansed of the curse and you will be rewarded with a Blessing. All the while, demons from the very depths of hell will be hunting you, trying to prevent you from cleansing the curse. Fend off demons like Flaming Skulls that fly through the air and explode into giant fireballs, or Shadow Men who are completely invisible except for their shadow, hiding behind doors to stab at you from the darkness, or Hunters who have night vision, a knife, and a thirst for your blood. Cleanse the cursed relics and receive rewards that push back the shadows, take too long and the mansion will become more and more cursed making your job even harder. Search the shadows, defeat the demons, and cleanse the cursed artifacts from the mansion.  Shuffle the rules with wildcards Wildcards is a game mode designed specifically for Midnight Murder Club that allows you to bend and break the rules of the game based on a set of cards selected before a round. With dozens of cards categorized into fun Game Modes, weird Toys, helpful Blessings, and punishing Curses, there are literally millions of wild combinations waiting to be experienced. For instance, playing the Bear Trap Trouble Wildcard fills the mansion with Bear Traps that lock you in place and make you a sitting duck. The Falling Chandelier Wildcard gives you the ability to attach a chandelier to the ceiling that falls on anyone who walks under it. With the Fire Trap Wildcard activated, every kill explodes the victim in a giant fireball catching anyone in the immediate vicinity on fire leading to unpredictable chain reaction kills. The Shrink Shot Wildcard gives you a second chance at life because when you get shot, you shrink to half size, complete with a squeaky voice to match. Mixing and matching Wildcards lets you discover fun new ways to play with your friends. Play with your friends, on the house We designed Midnight Murder Club to be played with friends, and we know how hard it is to convince your friend group to buy a new game. That’s why we wanted to try something new with the Guest Pass. With the Guest Pass, only one person needs to own the game to have everyone else join the fun at no additional cost. Players can download the Guest Pass Edition of Midnight Murder Club on PlayStation 5 or Steam at no cost and join full purchasers via an invite or Lobby Code*. Play together for as long as you want in any mode. Welcome to the club Midnight Murder Club started out as a weird idea I had almost exactly 10 years ago to this day. Back in 2015, I hacked together a small prototype in my bedroom and emailed it to my friends to play together. I never really knew what would become of it and a decade later I finally decided to pitch it to Velan and it was amazing how more people saw the potential of this strange idea of a shooter in the dark.  In some ways the game is very similar to that small prototype, but also extremely different thanks to all the feedback we received over Early Access and the various playtests with everyone. Very few people get to enjoy this feeling of pitching a game idea, seeing it grow, and then playing the game with the public like we have with Midnight Murder Club.  We built this game for you, I hope you enjoy it. See you in the shadows!