To fans' disappointment, EA says that Skate 4 is not in development. But although the major video game publisher isn't working on a new entry in its popular skateboarding series, the interest in playing a brand new skating sim hasn't died down.

In Skate 4's absence, an indie development team named creā-ture studios has been working on its very own skateboarding game called Session (formerly called Project Session.) Like Skate, Session maps the foot controls to the analog sticks, allowing players to pull off Ollies and complicated flip tricks with a few deft pushes, but characters turn using the controller bumpers which may take a little getting used to. creā-ture studios also wants Session to be an open-world game, and hopes to include as many real-life skate brands as possible.

However, unlike Skate 3, which offered single and multiplayer content on a relatively equal level, Session is "mostly online" and is focused on skateboarding with friends. Skating with friends, taking part in skateboarding games with friends, and having friends film tricks with the game's Filmer mode will be a "big part" of Session, says the developer.

There are also some other, obvious differences between EA's Skate series and Session: time and resources. Session was initially set to be released in 2016 but, largely as a result of the open-world, it is taking much longer to complete. The most recent gameplay footage for the game is from February 2016 and the developer is not yet ready to raise funds on Kickstarter as it wants to wait until a playable prototype is ready. The team hopes that a playable demo will be out this year.

Despite globally famous artists like Tyler, The Creator calling for Skate 4 to be made, EA just won't budge. Although the company did add Skate 3 to the EA Access program earlier this year, suggesting that it is aware that fans still hold a lot of love for the series, this doesn't necessarily mean that EA will ever make the Skate 4 that fans are dreaming of.

Session could potentially scratch that itch then, but skateboarding game fans will have to be patient as the full game will not be ready until 2018, as the creā-ture studios team works on it in its free time. Moreover, the game isn't being worked on by any former Skate developers and the primary platform is PC (although team has been approved PS4 and Xbox One development.) Expectations should be measured but Session does look like one to watch.

Source: EGM Now, reddit