Several groups of modders have apparently already created multiplayer mods for a recently-leaked build of Skate 4. Several passionate communities of Skate players have created fully working servers for the build, allowing several players to play it together.
What are these Skate 4 multiplayer mods all about?
Last week, early Skate 4 playtesters leaked an alpha build of the game. The build was about as unfinished as you'd expect from an early alpha, but it still had early versions of a lot of the game's core physics and concepts in place. EA subsequently told players not to play this leaked build, as it's a very early version of the game that doesn't represent where development is currently at. Naturally, that hasn't stopped Skate communities from getting their hands on the build and making it their own in some impressive ways, as Vice reports.
As a Skate Discord admin called Justice told Vice, running Skate servers "using simple process arguments" is an easy feat for them. Apparently, the leaked Skate 4 build already has multiplayer capabilities because it's a dev build, so all modders are doing is enabling the multiplayer switch. Another Discord admin, Crush, told Vice that they and their friend Crunnie were "the first people to have a working multiplayer" version of Skate 4, although they were pipped to the post by other modders when it came to fully working servers that supported more than 2 players.
It's pretty easy to get access to these Skate 4 multiplayer servers if you want to. Several Skate fan Discord servers have IP addresses listed that you can use to join the multiplayer modes if you have the leaked Skate 4 alpha build. Crush does want to be clear that "at the moment we have no way to moderate chat", so there might be people saying some pretty bad stuff until that's fixed. Apparently, EA itself has been "pretty calm" with the Skate 4 multiplayer modding scene; Crush says they "had an EA mod join the server" at one stage, but nothing came of it. Naturally, given EA's response to the leaked alpha build, this doesn't constitute corporate approval, but it does suggest the company isn't going to go after Skate 4 multiplayer modders too hard.
What is Skate 4 and when is it launching?
Skate 4, which is not even officially called Skate 4, is a new game in the long-running Skate franchise. Originally announced at EA Play 2020, the game will continue the franchise's blend of semi-realistic skating controls and customization. EA went silent for a good year or so after the announcement of Skate 4, eventually returning with a new teaser trailer in July last year. The new trailer disappointed fans due to its lack of gameplay, though, and it would be almost another full year until we'd hear anything from Skate again. The game re-emerged in June this year with a trailer titled "Still Working On It", showcasing the game's physics engine, new additions to parkour and park building, and early level design.
We'll likely learn more about Skate 4 in the coming months, so stay tuned for more info on it. Hopefully, the eventual reveal will be less disappointing than the initial "Working On It" trailer was, but it's early days for the game yet, after all.
