Skate

Skate first appeared in 2007 from EA Black Box as a direct response to the then-dominant Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, quickly establishing itself as its simulation-minded counterpart. Instead of memorized button combos, it introduced the "flick-it" control scheme: the right analog stick mimicked the motion of a foot on the board, forcing players to genuinely feel out timing and balance on every trick. Set in the fictional, open city of San Vanelona, which could be explored freely between districts with no loading screens, it emphasized believable fall physics, scrapes and bruises, and a realistic feel for riding rather than the arcade exaggeration that had defined the genre until then. A tie-in with skate magazine Thrasher added a string of challenges scattered across the city.

The 2009 sequel Skate 2 expanded the gameplay by letting players pick up objects and tear apart the surrounding scenery, added a stronger story about a pro rider returning to a demolished city, and became famous for its Hall of Meat mode, which scored players on the most painful, dramatic wipeouts. It also added the ability to climb ladders and hop fences, letting the open world be used more thoroughly than in the first game. The controls stayed faithful to the original, just refined and smoother, cementing the series' reputation as a simulation rather than an arcade game.

The trilogy peaked with 2010's Skate 3, which moved the action to the new city of Port Carverton and shifted the focus toward cooperation: players formed their own crews under the Skate Ranch banner, tackled shared challenges, built and shared their own obstacle setups, and could easily edit and share videos of their tricks right from the game. More accessible difficulty and expanded co-op multiplayer drew in newcomers, which is why fans often single it out as the most balanced and enjoyable entry in the whole series.

Alongside the main trilogy, lighter spin-offs appeared for handhelds and mobile phones, including a motion-controlled version for Wii and Nintendo DS, bringing the series to players outside home consoles. After Skate 3, though, a long silence followed - EA Black Box closed and the brand lay dormant for years while fans campaigned for a comeback through petitions and social media. Electronic Arts eventually confirmed the series' return, handing it to the newly formed studio Full Circle, staffed partly by former Black Box developers, and moved toward a free-to-play model with the game gradually opened up to the community through playtests. The goal remains to recapture the same sense of free-flowing riding that made the original a cult classic.