EA has formed Full Circle, a studio based in Vancouver that will handle development of Skate 4 (which technically isn’t the official name of the game yet).”Hi! Yes, we’re still working on the next Skate and we officially formed a studio to prove it!” said a tweet on the official Skate Twitter account. Full Circle is helmed by Daniel McCulloch, formerly the head of Xbox Live at Microsoft. Skate creators Deran Chung and Cuz Parry are also part of the creative leadership at Full Circle, leaving the franchise in good hands.
Hi! Yes, we’re still working on the next Skate and we officially formed a studio to prove it! https://t.co/Ha1Zf9omyI pic.twitter.com/2M3WNvzBxb
— Skate (@SkateEA) January 27, 2021
The return of Skate was led by fan demand for a new entry in the popular skateboarding series. Perhaps pressured in part by the return of Tony Hawk’s with the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 remake from Vicarious Visions last year, Skate 4 was announced by EA in July 2020. McCulloch commented on the formation of Full Circle and return of Skate:
The fans wished Skate back into existence and we want them to feel involved in the process from development to game launch and beyond. We want them to feel like they are a part of Full Circle. We’re all about having fun and making great games that people want to play with their friends. And, we’re looking for more developers to help us build compelling worlds for players to explore.
It looks like Skate 4 is still early in development, however. Full Circle is a brand new studio looking to staff up. Think you’ve got what it takes to work on the next Skate game? The announcement comes with a massive list of job openings at the studio, including designers, artists, test engineers, and more.
The formation of Full Circle to officially develop Skate cements last year’s Skate 4 announcement as more than just lip service for the fans. EA has serious plans for the next evolution of the franchise, at it starts at this new studio in Vancouver.