It’s hard to ignore; skateboarding is experiencing a major revival across the gaming world. While skateboarding games were once a dominant force in the 2000s, the genre seemed to fade as the video game industry evolved. However, a recent surge in new skating titles has captivated both seasoned veterans and fresh faces, proving there’s still a massive hunger for these types of games.
With the early access launch of EA’s Skate, a highly anticipated return for a series that once commanded significant attention, alongside the critically acclaimed remakes of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, this once-dormant genre appears poised for a full-blown comeback.
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My own realization of this resurgence struck while playing a completely different kind of skating experience: a wonderfully laid-back longboarding game called Driftwood. In Driftwood, you glide as a charming sloth, carving and bombing (the term for riding down steep hills in skating) through stunning, scenic mountainsides. As someone who enjoyed longboarding in high school, mostly cruising through the city, Driftwood instantly transported me back to that initial thrill of skating—the exhilarating rush of wind, the casual cool of weaving through pedestrians and traffic. It was fitting that this game, which rekindled my love for skating, also opened my eyes to the sheer number of skate-themed games that had recently emerged.
For years, developers have been creating a remarkable variety of skating titles. From the quirky SkateBird to hyper-realistic simulators like Session: Skating Sim, the landscape is rich. SkaterXL debuted years ago, and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk launched with all the swagger of a successful Tony Hawk maneuver (with a sequel already confirmed). All the while, the OlliOlli series consistently expanded in scope, depth, and style with each new installment, right up to Roll7’s unfortunate closure.
There’s certainly been no shortage of games keeping the spirit of shredding alive. But with Skate’s triumphant return, it feels like every corner of game development—from indie darlings to mid-tier studios and AAA behemoths—is fully embracing this skating game renaissance.
So, why now? What about the gaming landscape of today, and the past few years, has prompted developers to revisit this iconic part of gaming history?
According to Jason Mann, one of the developers behind Driftwood, the answer is quite straightforward. “If I had to guess, it’s probably that the people who grew up with the Skate and Tony Hawk series are now old enough to be making their own games, or at least have a significant influence on consumer spending.” Given the timeline, his reasoning holds water. The Tony Hawk games first hit the market in the late ’90s, with the Skate series following a decade later. Anyone who played these titles as a kid is likely now in a position to impact the industry, leading to the return we’re witnessing. Considering gaming’s ongoing trend of nostalgia and revisiting past successes, this seems like a very plausible explanation.
I largely agree with this perspective. However, while I welcome the resurgence of skating games, it sometimes feels like a strategic retreat. Perhaps it’s just my cynical side, but looking at the current state of the games industry, one can’t help but ask: what’s truly working anymore? In an era plagued by layoffs and project cancellations, a return to beloved franchises with proven legacies and enduring appeal feels like a natural response. It makes perfect sense for a game like Skate, which reimagines a cherished property with a new live-service model, to emerge—even if it does leave some audiences feeling a little uncertain.
Jeffrey Spicer, a producer at crea-ture Studios who works on Session, believes the resurgence mirrors the natural ebb and flow of skating culture’s own popularity. Spicer noted, however, that regardless of mainstream trends, “there is always a core group of individuals who want a game that offers the freedom and expression found in real-life skating.” This sentiment is hard to dispute, given the wide array of skating games that have appeared over the years—a diversity that both he and Mann enthusiastically support. It’s also incredibly entertaining to see skate mechanics appear in unexpected places, such as Thirsty Suitors from Outerloop Games in 2023, the recently released Sword of the Sea (which leans more towards surfing, but we’ll take it!), and even last year’s GameSpot GOTY, Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Funnily enough, the latter two games actually let players ride on a sword. If I had a nickel for every time that happened, I’d have two nickels—which isn’t a lot, but it’s certainly odd that it happened twice.
Spicer suggests that this persistent allure of skating stems from the fact that “the desire for skating games has never truly dwindled.” Mann echoed this sentiment, noting how older Tony Hawk and Skate games maintain “cult followings that generate considerable social media engagement.” Indeed, who hasn’t encountered a viral short video of a player landing an incredible Christ Air in Skate 3, perfectly timed to Pearl Jam’s “Even Flow?”
However, the current surge in skating games and their growing popularity is undeniable, a trend Spicer attributes to “the expanding player base” and their increasing demand. Luckily, this moment feels ideal for anyone looking to dive into the genre. Mat Piscatella, a senior director and analyst at market research company Circana, confirmed that EA’s Skate release is off to a “phenomenal start.” The free-to-play reboot apparently “ranked among the top 5 titles in weekly total active players” across most reporting platforms, placing its initial audience alongside titans like Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto. While large numbers are expected for major releases, it’s rare for a title from a previously niche genre, and a series dormant for 15 years, to achieve such a debut—making Skate’s launch a refreshing shake-up.
Reflecting on their past dominance, Piscatella also shared that during his time at Activision, “Tony Hawk games were what Call of Duty and Madden are today: annualized releases with a loyal audience that would buy the new version every year.” The current challenge, as Piscatella sees it, is to transform these “pulses”—isolated instances where a major release sparks interest—into a sustained “flashpoint” for the genre. Perhaps Skate can achieve this, though developers like Mann would also welcome more original titles from other big series in the genre, ideally with “full-fledged story modes” and a bit more grit.
Regardless of the form it takes, the developers I spoke with expressed genuine enthusiasm. Not just for the mainstream attention skating games are currently enjoying, but for the chance their work provides to “keep a torch lit for future generations to discover skating,” as Spicer eloquently put it. “Whether it’s getting new kids on their first board or encouraging old skaters to dust off their setups, skating is truly for everyone.”
