EA has seemingly no plans to work on Skate 4, according to their inaction regarding the IP trademark. The publisher allowed their rights to the Skate IP to lapse back in August, we've learned today, following a release by the Justia database of trademarks. Ownership was vacated following months of EA's non-response to Justia, who sought clarity from the publisher regarding their plans.
It's not uncommon for companies to simply allow their trademarks to lapse like this, and it would appear to mean EA doesn't care to work with the series anymore. EA last re-filed a new trademark for Skate in late February of 2018, which promptly sparked hope in the series' vocal fanbase, but this year the company has ignored it to the point of their rights lapsing over the summer.
Skate 4 is one of the most commonly requested projects from fans online, and you don't have to scroll too far down any EA comment thread before dozens or more people start asking about its prospects, often with the blunt response of "Skate 4?"
If Skate 3 goes down as the last game in the series, genre fans still have several similar projects to look forward to. Though Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 was the not return to mid-aughts glory fans craved -- its absymal 2015 launch sits at a 32 OpenCritic score -- other potential torch-bearers are soon to arrive that may fill the Skate-sized hole in some hearts.
Session is on the way from Crea-ture Studios, bound for Microsoft PC and Xbox at launch, though no release date has been announced. Skater XL from Easy Day Studios is currently in Steam Early Access with "very positive" user reviews on the platform. It's later coming to Switch and Xbox One. Lastly, for a more offbeat take on the sport, SkateBird is a crowdfunded game where you -- you guessed it -- skateboard as a bird. It also has no release date yet but has been announced for PC at launch.
