Skate launches to 'mixed' Steam reviews claiming it's a "soulless cash-grab"

In the perpetual chase for the next live-service behemoth, every franchise under the sun is getting online capabilities. Even Pokémon, a solid single-player RPG, has FOMO-laden Tera Raids to coax players back in every month. Skate, too, has fallen foul of this modern trend. I say fallen foul not because I'm against live-service games as a concept (my hours in Apex Legends are a testament to that), but because the game has released to 'mixed' reviews on Steam, with many players citing these live-service trappings as the core of their problems.

With just shy of 6,000 reviews at the time of writing, and only 46% of them positive, it's safe to say that Skate hasn't got off to the best start. I don't think anyone was expecting it to be the best sports game right off the bat, given it's still very much in early access, but comparisons to its beloved predecessors were inevitable and, right now, don't paint it in the best light.

Before we get to any of the problems with the game itself, it's worth noting that its servers struggled on launch day due to the considerable influx of players, with Steam counts alone peaking at over 80k concurrents. Thanks to those server woes and crashes on PC, many struggled to get in or play for an extended time without facing problems.

Technical issues aside, players have plenty of complaints about the gameplay, too. One Steam review says the game feels "soulless" thanks to the fact it constantly pushes you to spend money. Given it's free-to-play, many of the cool customization options are locked behind paywalls, and other fan-favorite features are absent entirely. There's no Hall of Meat or S.K.A.T.E. missions, and no story mode, for starters.

Others dislike the less realistic art style, which is often being compared to Fortnite, but the most common complaint is the lack of an offline mode, which - again - is likely a byproduct of the game's live-service, free-to-play nature.

It's worth noting that Skate is still in Steam Early Access, meaning that the developer could address all this feedback in future updates. And given it's free-to-play, those who are morbidly curious can still check it out with no strings attached.

Skate is available now in Steam Early Access. You can download it here.

We've got you covered with guides for how to fix the Skate crash error, plus a Skate server status update page. If Skate hasn't put you off the genre for life, check out some of the best skateboard games on PC. If you're sticking with EA's latest, make sure you know the top spots on the Skate map to rip your best tricks.

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