It looks like the dream of seeing the potential Skate 4 has gotten a bit smaller. Reported on Justia Trademarks, one of the Skate trademarks was abandoned by EA on August 1 2019 as the company failed to renew it. Why we’re only finding about this now is a mystery, but for fans of the series who held out hope for a continuation, this doesn’t bode well.
The reason why the potential for a new entry isn’t completely out of question is because of a second trademark that EA still has the rights to. Even more confusing is that this is actually the original Skate trademark that they patented all those years ago. The company filed for a renewal on this one in July 2019, which makes it valid for the next 10 years. In the actual trademark events it states: REGISTERED AND RENEWED (FIRST RENEWAL – 10 YRS)” as well as “NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE OF SEC. 8 & 9 – E-MAILED.”
So at the very least EA hasn’t given up on the franchise entirely. However, this does beg the question as to why there were two trademarks as opposed to one. One possibility is that the original trademark was up for renewal and the company may have figured that it would be denied by the Patent and Trademark Office, therefore necessitating the second trademark. Then once the original’s was confirmed for renewal, they allowed the newer one to expire, therefore abandoning it.
EA may have only re-upped the name for the sake of continuing to sell the game, as all three titles are available on multiple digital storefronts. While there is a small chance they could be developing Skate 4, it’s been nearly 10 years since the last iteration released. A lot has changed since then, as the majority of people in the gaming community have moved on from skateboarding titles in general.
The love and dedication of the Skate fan base has been well documented. Originally launching in 2007 as an alternative to the monster hit that was Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Skate went onto enjoy it’s own success, and is considered by many to be the most authentic, and realistic skateboarding title out there. It spawned two sequels in 2009 and 2010 respectively, with the latter being generally favored above the rest. Here’s hoping that the company actually has something up their sleeves for us in the foreseeable future.