It’s been a long time since we’ve had a really good skateboarding game, but Skater XL is looking to fill that void when it launches for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on July 7. The PC version, currently in early access, will see its full release on the same day, and the PS4 and Xbox One versions will also get a retail release in New Zealand.
Skater XL sees you skating around 60 real-world skate locations from California, including the famous LA Courthouse skate plaza. It promises “unparalleled board control and responsiveness” and the ability to style your own tricks, right down to the way you move your feet and flip the board.
You’ll be able to play as skating icons Tiago Lemos, Evan Smith, Tom Asta, or Brandon Westgate, or create your own custom character. Skater XL will also feature apparel, footwear, decks, wheels and more from a range of skate brands, including:
- New Balance – Numeric Shoes and Apparel
- Etnies – Footwear and Apparel
- DC Shoes – Footwear and Apparel
- Santa Cruz Skateboards – Decks
- Vans – Shoes
- Primitive – Decks and Apparel
- Element – Decks and Apparel
- Independent Truck Co. – Trucks and Apparel
- Venture – Trucks
- Thunder – Trucks
- Spitfire – Wheels
- Lakai – Footwear and Apparel
- ẻS – Footwear and Apparel
- Emerica – Footwear and Apparel
- Grimple Stix – Decks
- Sk8Mafia – Decks and Apparel
- SOVRN – Decks and Apparel
- Ricta – Wheels
- Mob Grip – Grip tape
- Bones – Wheels and Apparel
- Crupie – Wheels
- Grizzly – Grip tape and Apparel
- Dickies – Apparel
- Old Friends – Apparel
- Transworld Skateboarding – Apparel
- 411VM – Apparel
- The Nine Club – Apparel
Skater XL is being developed by Easy Day Studios, a studio founded in 2018 by Dain Hedgpeth (creator of the mobile game Skater, and also a physicist), Jon West (former skater turned game developer), and Jeff Goforth (former head of skateboarding at DC Shoes).
It’s been available on Steam Early Access since December 2018, and has built up a large modding community in the time since. July 7 will mark its full release and console debut; in New Zealand, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions will both be getting a physical release, as well.