skates Players are accusing EA and developer Full Circle of backtracking on a previous promise that the game's map expansion would never go behind a paywall. Now the debate is focused on Season 3's headline destination, which introduces a tiered entry system that has many vocals involved. skates Players say it crosses the line into free-to-play gaming.
skates Released in early access on PC and consoles in September 2025. Since then, the game has offered two quarterly seasons. Season 2, called 'Future Radical', will begin on December 2 and run until March 3, and Season 3 will follow on March 10. Full Circle recently began sharing specific details about its upcoming content releases first, sparking controversy in the process.
The new game is like skating but with scooters
One of the upcoming games seeks to provide a sandbox-style, physics-driven sports experience similar to skating but using kick scooters.
Fans Criticize Skate Over Isle of Grom Paywall
As some vocalists noted on social media starting February 19th, skates's Seasons model includes a direct promise that maps added to the game after launch will not be restricted by a paywall. But Full Circle has now decided to change direction, at least partially. Season 3 will introduce the Isle of Grom, an expanded version of the game's tutorial island, with availability varying by date. Initially, only those who have purchased the next version of Skate.Pass Premium will have daily access to the area. The restricted access period is temporary, but here's the simple outlook: skates Placing the maps behind a paywall has already drawn criticism from online players.
Rearranges covers into correct US release order.
start
Rearranges covers into correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Difficult (10)
The launch of Full Circle effectively treats the Isle of Grom as a circular destination. Unlimited access is reserved for skateboarding from March 10th to April 14th. Pass Premium holders; The island will be open to all players for a limited-time event from April 14th to May 5th. And from May 5th to June 2nd, skatesF2P players can enter using 500 earnable Rip chips for a 24-hour daily pass. The studio may argue that free routes to the area still remain, but critics argue that this structure effectively amounts to renting a map and sets an uncomfortable precedent for how future locations can be handled once the opening period ends.
EA addressed the backlash by pointing out reality. skatesdevelopment model. On February 19, the game's official Twitter account posted “Yes, sometimes you have to change plans,” describing it as “part of the deal” when developing an early access title. The post garnered more than 100,000 impressions in 24 hours, but did little to quell criticism. Some players argued this way. skates If you don't have a clear policy in place, you shouldn't have been prominently promoting your “No Paid Maps” pledge, including in your FAQ and Discord stickers. For those critics, the concern is less about Season 3 being experimental and more about shifting trust-sensitive promises about how the world of skating will grow.
skates Season 3 is set to cover much more ground than Grom Island, and other additions will likely be much less controversial. Full Circle has teased additional features aimed at expanding Skate.Pass content, including more rewards based on real brands like Adidas, various store changes, and a new “Premium+” bundle. A separate update is expected to outline additional gameplay features, which are expected to offer everything from “darkslides to gritty streets.”
It's unclear how ongoing criticism of the Season 3 map access model will impact player engagement. According to SteamDB data, the game is currently peaking at around 2,000 concurrent users on Valve's platform. This is a 98% decrease from before. skatesSteam player base in September 2025. Full Circle previously displayed: skates It will remain in early access for at least one year. However, the studio has not committed to a specific 1.0 release date.
- released
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September 16, 2025
- ESRB
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Teen/vulgar humor, lyrics, mild violence, in-game purchases, user interaction
- developer
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full circle
- engine
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statue
