Skate 4 is not a game that officially exists but it is a game that fans would very much like to play. Those desperate for a new entry in the skateboarding sim series were disappointed when EA said that Skate 4 isn't in development, but fans remain hopeful that the series' publisher has had a change of heart and will announce something soon.
As fans continue to speculate about Skate 4 and the future of the Skate series, an online listing by Swedish retailer Webhallen has only added more fuel to the flames. The retailer listed Skate 4 for both PS4 and Xbox One, initially listing the game for a 2019 release (according to screenshots) before updating it to say that the game would be available in 2018. Webhallen also set the game's price at 599 SEK (Swedish Krona) which is equivalent to $74, though this high price is in accordance with other, announced PS4 and Xbox One games listed on the Webhallen website.
The Skate 4 listings also include some boxart for the game, though it is this alleged boxart image that has caused significant suspicion. For starters, the fact that the Xbox One cover mentions a free copy of Skate 3 seems unusual. Skate 3 is available as part of the EA Access library, with EA Access being the paid-for Xbox One subscription service that gives players access to a huge library of EA games.
Why would EA give away a copy of a game that players would pay good money to access through a subscription? It would be more typical for EA to include a free trial of EA Access which would also offer access to Skate 3 by default - offering free trials is something the publisher has done with FIFA-themed Xbox One console bundles.
The design is also inconsistent with previous pieces of boxart in the series. Skate 2 and Skate 3 both feature the logo on a skateboard, for example, the Skate 3 logo is on the underside of a board and the Skate 2 logo is presented across two skateboards. The first Skate game does feature the logo alongside a close-up of skateboard trucks but the main Skate logo on that boxart still looks disheveled and scuffed.
The logos on the Skate 2 and Skate 3 boxart also look as though they've been roughed up and they certainly aren't are clean or pristine as the logo included on this alleged Skate 4 boxart. Although it was convincing enough for fans to wonder if an announcement will happen soon, possibly at the EA Play event at E3 2018, upon closer inspection it just doesn't seem genuine.
Additionally, this particular piece of Skate 4 box art has been in the wild for quite some time. A Pinterest listing from February 2016 includes a screenshot of a listing by an Australian retailer that includes the same boxart. That particular listing said that the game would be released in August 2016, which clearly didn't happen.
Even if Webhallen has found this mockup online and has chosen to use it while it waits for an official version from EA, that still casts a huge shadow of doubt over the listing. In fact, as of the time of writing, Webhallen has removed the listings from its website, though it's unclear whether that is because the listings were bogus or because it jumped the gun and EA intervened and asked the retailer to take the listings down.
Whether the listings are real or not, the response to it highlights that fans are desperate for Skate 4 to happen. Everyone from hardcore skaters and celebrity icons like Tyler, The Creator to casual skate fans have their fingers crossed that a new game will be released. The Webhallen listing may not be the real deal, but hopefully, EA is aware of the demand.
Source: Gamereactor, Pinterest