EA’s ‘pre-pre-pre-alpha’ video of the new Skate still looks pretty great

EA announced in 2020 that a new Skate game was on the way, and on Thursday, we got our first look — well, sort of. The company debuted a trailer with what it calls “pre-pre-pre-alpha” footage of the upcoming skateboarding sequel, and even in this early form, the game looks like it has a lot of promise.

The footage, unsurprisingly, mostly features skateboarding, though much of it has what’s clearly placeholder graphics and art. A later part of the video has more complete-looking graphics, and it appears this new Skate entry will continue the series’ realism. There are glimpses of a few more outlandish ideas, too, like some hilariously tall ramps and a building that looks inspired by a pachinko board. And many of the shots show a lot of skateboarders at once, suggesting that the final game might let you pull off tricks with a bunch of other people nearby.

We still don’t know when the game might be released, and given that this is pre-pre-pre-alpha footage, it doesn’t seem like you should expect it anytime soon. But if you’re interested in playtesting the game, you can do that on EA’s website.

Playtests will only be available on PC via Origin, according to an FAQ. However, the playtesting signup form asks if you primarily play games on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, or mobile, which could indicate the game will eventually be released on all of those platforms.