EA’s Skate rumored to feature microtransactions ahead of early access launch, with its alpha test reportedly seeking player input on in-game purchases.

EA’s Skate -or skate.- is reportedly introducing the microtransactions we knew it’d be getting at some point a little earlier than some folks had anticipated, with a message informing players of the arrival of some virtual currency apparently having been sent out during the game’s ongoing closed alpha test.

This is according to Insider Gaming, which cites a message recently sent to players participating in the test informing them that a virtual currency dubbed San Van Bucks is being made available, and that folks will be able to buy cosmetics with it.

The reasoning being given for this happening now is seemingly pretty benign depending on how you view things, with EA alluding to wanting to gather player feedback on the system in an effort to deliver a “positive experience when purchasing items from the skate store”.

That’s ahead of the game’s early access launch, which will take place at some point in 2025, according to Skate’s website. It sounds like if you make any purchases right now using currency you’ve bought, they will be converted back into San Van Bucks in the event your game progress is reset and made available again when Skate’s early access launches.

VG247 has reached out to EA for comment.

While as I mentioned, we’ve known for a while that Skate will be free-to-play with microtransactions, a lot of the outrage that this news has kicked off appears to be mostly that this currency has been deployed so early in the game’s release cycle, before it’s gotten a full release date. Would people still be unhappy if this currency had been added-in for the first time during the early access phase instead, or with the full release? Probably, but it seems at least some of them think doing it during the alpha is a step further than that.

How do you feel about the way EA’s approaching Skate’s monetisation? Let us know below!