Alright, folks, buckle up because we’ve got some news that’s a real bummer in the gaming world. Full Circle, the studio behind the highly anticipated new *skate.* game, has announced some major restructuring, and that means layoffs. Yeah, you heard that right – the developers are letting staff go even before the game officially leaves its early access phase. These Full Circle layoffs are hitting less than six months after *skate.* launched in early access back on September 15, 2025. It’s a tough pill to swallow, no cap, for everyone involved, especially the devs who poured their hearts into the project.
The studio put out a statement saying they’re “reshaping Full Circle to better support *skate.*’s long-term future.” They acknowledged that these shifts mean changes to their team structure and that some roles will be impacted. They stressed that the affected teammates are super talented colleagues and friends whose creativity and dedication are deeply ingrained in what players are experiencing today. “This decision is not a reflection of their impact,” they stated, promising to support them through this transition. While the exact number of folks getting the axe isn’t public yet, it’s always a hard blow to any team, especially when they’re in the thick of development on a title with so much fan expectation.
This whole situation is, quite frankly, a classic example of the volatile nature of the video game industry right now. We’ve seen a wave of layoffs across tech and gaming giants over the past year or two. From Microsoft and Sony to Epic Games and Unity, it seems like no one is safe from these tough business decisions. It’s a real heads-up for developers out there; even with a highly anticipated title like *skate.*, job security can be, well, sketchy.
Full Circle itself was formed by EA in 2021, bringing together some of the OG development talent from the original Skate team. For years, the Skate franchise was seen as the more realistic, grounded alternative to the arcadey antics of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. But with *skate.*, the studio took a pretty different direction. Unlike its predecessors, which were premium, paid experiences with both single-player and multiplayer modes, *skate.* is going free-to-play with a live-service model, supported by microtransactions. This shift, while common in today’s market, fundamentally changes the game’s identity and its business model.
The move to a free-to-play, live-service model is where things get really interesting, and often, really challenging. Launching a successful live-service game in the 2020s is like trying to land a kickflip blindfolded – super hard, dude. Just look at recent history: the swift failure of *Concord* and the ongoing struggles of *Highguard* serve as stark reminders of how brutal this landscape can be. It’s not enough to get players in the door; you have to keep them engaged, buying cosmetics, and coming back for more, week after week, month after month. Full Circle did mention that “tens of millions” of players have tried the new game, which sounds great on paper. But if those players aren’t sticking around or spending enough on those microtransactions, then the revenue stream isn’t on point, and restructuring becomes an unfortunate reality.
EA, the publisher, has a track record with live-service games that’s a mixed bag, to say the least. While they’ve had massive successes like *Apex Legends*, they’ve also faced high-profile struggles with titles like *Anthem* and the initial launch of *Battlefield 2042*. The pressure to deliver a constantly evolving, monetizable experience is immense, and it often leads to ambitious plans that don’t always pan out. It makes you wonder if the push for the free-to-play model for *skate.* came with an aggressive monetization target that the game, even in early access, isn’t quite hitting.
For the loyal fans who’ve been waiting for a new Skate game for what feels like forever, this news is definitely a downer. The hope was that Full Circle, with its experienced team, would deliver a fresh yet faithful take on the beloved franchise. These layoffs, however, signal that the journey to a full launch might be bumpier than anticipated. It often means a slowdown in content, potential shifts in development priorities, and a general air of uncertainty around the project. We’re all rooting for *skate.* to eventually hit its stride and deliver that dope skateboarding experience we’re craving, but this kind of news makes you question the stability of its long-term future.
Only time will tell how these changes ultimately impact the game. Will it tighten up development and streamline the path to full release, or will it leave a gaping hole in the team that slows things down even further? It’s a high-stakes game, and for the folks at Full Circle, it’s a critical moment. Let’s hope they can navigate this rough patch and still deliver a sick game for all the skaters out there. Until then, we’ll keep an eye on the grind.
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