Prior to the official announcement of a newSkatein development at EA, fans flooded practically every EA event with messages calling for the development of the game. Fans essentially willed it into existence, as anewSkatewas EA’s most demanded game in 10 years. Now, EA seems to be taking its time and pouring a lot of resources into getting it right.
ForSkate, it essentially established a new Vancouver-based studio called Full Circle and has brought on a lot of talent from all over the industry. A PC port of the game was confirmed, and thus far, fans have gotten abehind-the-scenes teaser forSkate 4. While it has yet to be shown in any major capacity, this is all part of getting it right, which is why EA is hiring someone for UX (User Experience) research at the moment.
RELATED:It’s Important Skate 4 Nails The Basics
A job listing posted on LinkedIn confirms that EA is hiring for a new UX researcher forSkate. This likely means that the general gameplay feel and user interface is still in the works, but the job listing is encouraging. The job listing confirms applicants would “report to the Director of UX Research to conduct research for the next evolution of Skate, delivering an experience to embrace and build upon everything theSkatecommunity found special about the previous games.” From inception to hiring key talents, it seems clear EA is focusing on everything theSkatecommunity has loved over the years.
This is encouraging for the job, as well as thenewSkategame. Other notable job requirements and qualifications include the ability to conduct research activities across various platforms, including PC, console, and mobile; the use of mixed methods research to answer essential questions about the game; to bolster researchers, designers, product planners, and producers with specific research insights; and all of this with the expected experience of an advance degree in psychology, human-computer interaction, or equivalent; at least two years of experience within the industry; and expertise in at least one research methodology, such as field studies, interviewing, and/or usability studies.
In other words, it’s a big decision that’ll have a lasting impact onSkate.EA mentions in the job listing that it believes every member of the UX Research team influences not just the experience ofgames likeSkatehere, but the future of UX research as a whole.
At the end of the day, it’s clear thatSkateis a long way away. However, the trade-off for that seems to be a lot of emphasis on making sure thisSkateexperience surpasses the best of the past games and lives down the worst of them. As such, it seems easy to behopeful forSkate’s future.
