EA explains why Skate was free… and the short answer is social interactions.
The main reason most games are free-to-play is to maximize the reach and spending of microtransactions. This is definitely one of EA’s big motivations with Skate, which is indeed F2P and will also have microtransactions. EA makes billions every year from streaming services and Skate will feed off that stream.
Aside from the game’s business tactics, EA management gives more color, saying that Skate’s new F2P release will appeal to and cater to a very specific age group: Gen Z and Gen Alpha, both of whom are very connected to gaming in direct
“One of the biggest growth potentials we have as a company is how we present ourselves to Gen Z and Gen Alpha gamers, how they connect socially, how they consume content. There’s been a significant team focus on that.” , EA. Chief Operating Officer Laura Miele said during the first quarter earnings call.
“Back in the day, skateboarding was a little bit ahead of its time. A lot of the core motivation around our skating experience was around creative expression and social connection and competition. And we’re bringing it to life in the biggest way. we possibly can.”
EA CEO Andrew Wilson had also prepared comments on this age demographic
“We continue to see Gen Alphas and Gen Zs turn to gaming as their primary form of entertainment, consuming more content than any generation in the past. They love to play with friends. They stay connected with family. And they create content on every moment.turn, both in and around your entire gaming experience.
When we look at Skate, I think what happened is that our ambitions have continued to grow. As you’ve seen what the team has been able to do around that experience, I think we continue to see opportunities.
Skateboarding is a kind of cultural language for many generations. It transcends so many things, certainly geography, and as we think about the ability to unite a global community of youth through the language of skateboarding, we believe this represents one of the biggest and strongest opportunities we have to build community global deeply engaged online. in a world that involves creativity on our part as well as on their part experiencing what starts as skateboarding and almost certainly goes deeper into the cultural sensibilities of a generation.