15 Years Ago, Skate 3 Marked the End of an Era

There was once a time when skateboarding video games were inescapable, and fifteen years ago today, Skate 3 signaled the end of this era. As gamers look back on older console generations, it’s worth considering just how impactful the likes of Skate were, and hopefully will continue to be moving forward.

Introduced as a more realistic, simulation-style alternative to the legion of arcade-influenced Tony Hawk skating games, the Skate franchise left an indelible mark on the gaming landscape during the heyday of the Xbox 360 and PS3. Those invested in the games industry at this time know that comparisons between Skate and Tony Hawk were rampant, and the tension between the two distinct franchises was palpable. It was interesting, then, to see how Skate would develop as a series across releases, becoming increasingly less tethered to reality, but no less commanded by a robust in-game physics system. Now, when skateboarding games have mostly migrated to the indie space, or are otherwise defined by their emulative or derivative nature, it’s important to celebrate Skate 3, which marked the end of EA Black Box’s seminal sports franchise—for the time being, at least.

Skate 3 Was a Swansong for AAA Skateboarding Games Back in 2010

For Many, Skate 3 Represents the Pinnacle of Its Genre

While Skate 2 is the Goldilocks of the franchise, striking the perfect balance between grounded simulation and outlandish implausibility, Skate 3 is the series at its most ambitious; getting massive air and pulling off absurd, physics-defying tricks is a relative rarity in Skate 2, and almost never happens in the first Skate, but such maneuvers are commonplace in Skate 3. Indeed, while Skate 3 has the same well-wrought physics systems as its predecessors, its emphasis is on pulling off crazy, creative stunts, rather than cool-but-realistic tricks and lines.

In hindsight, this makes Skate 3 an appropriately explosive finale for the franchise, although few knew that it was a finale at the time. It was an open-world skating paradise, designed to feel more like a playground than a believable city, which is something that even Skate-inspired modern games like Session: Skate Sim won’t commit to, for better or worse. With the addition of series’ staples like Hall of Meat, Skate 3 was solidified as a landmark release for the genre, and remains a venue for skating fans to experiment with new techniques, tricks, and layouts thanks to the custom parks feature. Indeed, Skate 3 will always be a special game, though its legacy might shift a bit with the nascent release of Skate 4, also known as skate.

Skate 4 Might Do Well To Borrow Heavily from Skate 3

With the Skate franchise officially getting another entry in the form of skate., it will certainly be interesting to see how EA’s newly minted studio Full Circle incorporates the series’ earlier mechanics and design philosophies. While many, especially those with a fondness for real-world skateboarding, come to the Skate series for its simulation-style gameplay, many others appreciate the more outlandish and unrealistic aspects seen in Skate 3. In light of this, perhaps it would be smart for Full Circle to lean into Skate 3’s design principles, focusing on the ridiculous rather than the grounded.

Skate 3 is definitely a crowd-pleaser, as its potential for gravity-bucking antics doesn’t necessarily detract from the more realistic gameplay the series is known for. It was a fitting end for the Skate series back in 2010, and one can only hope that some of its spirit has been bottled for the next entry in the Skate series.