When you think of skateboarding games, what is the first thing you think of? For me, it’s the music – whether it was being introduced to the impeccable drum work of Josh Freese in The Vandals’ Euro-Barge on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1, trying to get my voice as high as 3 Inches of Blood’s singer in Deadly Sinners in Tony Hawk’s Underground 2, or learning how to play Jack White’s part in Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine after hearing it in Skate, music is an integral part of these games.
The recent THPS 1+2 and 3+4 remasters understand this, and bring a nice mix of classic and modern music to the re-releases that (I think) represents what skate culture should always be about: honouring legacy and trying new stuff. EA’s upcoming Skate reboot seems to have got this brief, too, as today the publisher has announced that the game will have “over 100 songs” featured on the in-game soundtrack.
Back to the grind. | Image credit: EA
Pleasantly, these will vary from the likes of upcoming acts like Denzel Curry and Turnstile – yes, I know they’re four albums in, but they’re also only just breaking through to the mainstream – and more classic acts like MF Doom and Earth, Wind & Fire.
“[Skate will have] over 100 songs, with hits from emerging artists and deep cuts to help players discover new music as they skate through San Vansterdam,” reads a press release. “Each session stays fresh and high energy, and like San Vansterdam itself, the soundtrack will evolve with every season.”
Music licensing is a real pain for game developers; we’ve previously seen entire titles delisted from digital storefronts due to music licensing issues. By keeping the in-game track list fresh and changing it with the seasons, the publisher can better control what goes in and out of the game, and simply remove a track from rotation if the license expires. I think that’s also a better example of skate culture, to be honest: in my misspend adolescence in skate parks, I learned so much new, interesting music from listening to what the other skaters were blasting out of their crappy, battery-powered speakers hooked up to their iPods (I was just a bit too old for the boombox era, sadly).
So far, Little Simz and Skeggs are also mentioned for the soundtrack, but not a lot of other bands are confirmed yet. So that’s six out of – assumedly – 100 artists we’ve locked in. There’s plenty of scope for some really cool stuff to get in here. Just do me a favour, EA, and don’t include Lupe Fiasco’s Kick, Push. It’s been done to death at this point. If you want mellow, go for something like Brave Baby’s Plastic Skateboard, instead: it’s far better for those late night sessions on the concrete with your pals.