'Skate 4', Or At Least A New Skate Game, Finally Confirmed By EA

I honestly never thought I'd see the day, but it looks like the Internets' incessant nagging has finally paid off. EA has announced that a brand new Skate game - which I'll be referring to as Skate 4 for the time being - is in development.

The news was announced during last night's EA Play event, though unfortunately we didn't get a look at any footage. The game is apparently "really, really early" in development, which means we don't even know what platforms it's coming to. Presumably it'll be a next-gen title, though.

Instead of a trailer, we got the next best thing; creative director Cuz Parry and game director Deran Chung appeared together for the reveal, thanking the fans for their... persistence over the years.

"We've been waiting years to make the right game, at the right time, with the right idea," Chung explained. Parry added that the fans "commented this into existence". Presumably a reference to last decade's worth of fans gently demanding Skate 4 be made.

Again though, we have to remember that this new game isn't called Skate 4 - at least at the moment. Hopefully we'll find out exactly why this is the case sooner rather than later, because their insistence on not referring to it as such strikes me as a little odd.

It has, somewhat unbelievably, been a decade since Skate 3, so this is an incredibly welcome bit of news for fans everywhere. The last ten years have been a rollercoaster of rumours, speculation, registered trademarks, and outright denial that a new game could ever happen. Thank goodness it's finally out there, even if we have absolutely no idea when to expect it.

EA's Skate franchise soared to popularity in 2007 when the first game launched on Xbox 360 and PS3. Its focus on a more realistic control scheme and highly polished visuals set it apart from the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games - which by this point were definitely declining in quality.

That's not to say there isn't more than enough room for both franchises to exist at the same time. In fact, that looks like exactly what's going to happen. Between Skate 4/whatever they end up calling it and the upcoming Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 And 2 - Remastered, it's a hell of a time for skating enthusiasts.