Fans of Skate, the extreme skateboarding sports game series from Electronic Arts, are champing at the bit to play the upcoming sequel first announced back in 2020. So much, in fact, they’re playing an internal build of the game that recently leaked, and the developers kindly want them to stop.
In a blog update on the official Skate website, developer Full Circle thanked players for the enthusiastic response to the “pre-pre-pre-alpha” trailer released in June and the amount of participants who have signed up to playtest the game. That’s great! Unfortunately, that good news was dampened by the developer having to also address players downloading an unfinished build of the game from September 2021 that appears to have first leaked as far back as April of this year.
This is Skate 4 pre-alpha footage. This is in line with what I’ve heard about where the game is at from multiple people. They’re trying to get the feel right, which is probably the most important aspect of a Skate game. https://t.co/AXNV2Agk6z pic.twitter.com/nUINhghxLg
— Jeff Grubb, No. 3 games journalist (@JeffGrubb) April 20, 2022
“We’re aware of an earlier version of the game that has been distributed without our authorization. This build is from September 2021 and was never intended for external use,” the developer said. “While we understand you’re excited to get into the game, we encourage you to be careful when downloading files from unknown sources (and remind you of the potential consequences of breaking EA’s Terms of Service).”
The update ends reminding folks excited for the new Skate that the best way to play the game early is by signing up for EA’s insider playtesting program.