I want to give props to Easy Day Studios for what they've accomplished with Skater XL as a small team of skaters making their first video game for other skaters. i've watched since the beginning of the project, and they've overcome significant challenges to get the tech to the point it's at now. it's so cool that so many other people are interested in the game, and i hope they get it to a point where it is fun for everyone, but this was always meant for skaters since day one. that was where all the marketing went. and that audience seems to really like it. it sucks that releasing a game into 1.0 is the way that it is these days, where you can't just have everything in the game already. but this 1.0 version is going to be a really solid foundation for future updates and for modders, who've already done so much, like adding multiplayer, tricks, stats, and hundreds of new maps.
I skate every day, and typically play this before heading out. It's nothing like any other skate game out there. I love THPS and Skate, of course. But they are totally different. I also have owned Session since it's Early Access release and have a total of about 2 hours in it. In Skater XL I have about 170, and there is just no end in sight.
The Tyshawn he is talking about being in the new THPS is Tyshawn Jones, who rides for Dill's skateboard company, FA/Hockey. Tyshawn was Thrasher's Skater of the Year in 2018 so that's pretty big news that they got him. Dill also says he made sure to put a Jason Dill pro model board in there as one of the boards you can choose, if you play as TJ. So there will be that level of customization again. That's pretty much all he says about the new THPS, then there's a little bit of talk about what it was like when the first THPS came out and joking about how being on the podcast should be part of the career mode, then the EA story comes right after, and I think that's the part worth listening to. It's worth hearing him tell it. The authenticity is refreshing.
And I don't know, but EA getting shut down by Jason Dill is not just like they got told off by some random skater. He's EXTREMELY influential among skaters of multiple generations, and has literally been reshaping the new school of skateboarding through companies he owns, like FA, or is heavily involved with, like Supreme and Adidas.
Other than the fact that THPS is getting a core skater like Tyshawn for their next game's lineup, I'm also hopeful because in total contrast to his response to EA, it sounds like Dill's excited to have his name and his company involved with the next THPS.
@ninnyjams: Apparently they were doing quite a lot behind the scenes. They posted plenty of updates, but for the most part just showed the motion capture work they were doing IRL. The game itself wasn't being updated for the public at all, and people were skeptical.
They obviously had a lot of work to do, and I think they pulled it off. The current beta surprised me and I think demonstrates that SkaterXL is much further along than Session.
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