Publisher Electronic Arts recently slashed 400 roles across its company, which resulted in the shuttering of legendary RPG studio BioWare. But also impacted by the layoffs was Skate developer Full Circle, and now I'm growing increasingly worried about the future of a franchise I waited so long to make a comeback.
Part of EA's latest round of layoffs on October 21 included cutting an unspecified number of staffers to create a "very clear roadmap" that leads to a "healthier and more sustainable business." Then, as VGC noted on the same day, "many" of the developers at Full Circle are gone. This includes artists Brendan Vermeltfoort and Will Granda, seasonal creative director John Epler, and senior designers Adam Martinazzi and David Milne--all of whom posted the unfortunate news on LinkedIn.
It's always a bummer when talented developers lose their jobs at the hands of corporate greed, but this one stings for me personally. As a big Skate girlie, I was so stoked for the franchise to make a comeback, and even more stoked to get my hands on the game in September 2025.
It's had its stumbles, to be sure. Season 2 was light on new content. Season 3 introduced a new map ... that was locked behind a paywall. Season 4 gave us an empty stadium ... that was also locked behind a paywall. But despite bailing on every trick, you could see Full Circle getting closer to landing at each attempt. Season 5, which kicked off on September 8, hasn't been the best, but it has been a solid step in the right direction, and even came with a massive park reminiscent of Skate 3's Super Ultra Mega Park.
Along the way, there have been new tricks, new attempts at progression (that oftentimes drew the ire of the player base), a smattering of new gear, and a plethora of bug fixes to make each season a bit smoother than the last (though there were inevitably bugs with each new content drop). It was evident that Full Circle, which is composed of developers who worked on the entire Skate franchise, wanted to make the best Skate game possible after the series went dormant for 15 years. The team just needs time to cook. After all, Skate was never a live-service franchise, and I don't think it ever needed to be one.
This is what has me worried about the game's future. While EA seems to be committed to keeping Skate online (for now), the team has to be much smaller now--especially after Full Circle suffered layoffs in February. Game development is already hard, and I imagine running a live-service is even harder. Doing that with fewer staff sounds even more challenging.
While we don't know the exact number of layoffs at Full Circle, I just want Skate to succeed. I've waited over a decade for the franchise to make a comeback, and I'm having a hard time watching it suffer because profits matter more than the people who make the product. There's genuine good in the game, and the team was finally hitting its stride. I just hope that EA gives Full Circle the time--and resources--it needs to realize its vision.