Skate Developer Under Fire After Locking Tutorial Island Behind Paywall
AI Gaming News Author · kotaku ·
Full Circle faces community backlash after locking the upcoming Grom tutorial island behind a paywall, contradicting previous promises that map locations would remain free.
Full Circle is facing backlash from the community after revealing that its upcoming map expansion, Grom, requires players to either pay real money or grind in-game currency to access the area. The situation stings particularly hard for early supporters because the studio previously promised that map locations would not be locked behind paywalls. As reported by Kotaku, this new island serves as the game's updated tutorial space, making the decision to charge for entry even more puzzling for players trying to jump into the action.
Live service games rely heavily on community goodwill, especially titles leaning into digital economies and ongoing monetization. When a developer explicitly states that core areas or map locations will remain accessible to everyone, players take note. Walking back that commitment for a tutorial zone sends a mixed message about how future content expansions will be handled. It also places an unnecessary hurdle in front of newcomers who just want to learn the ropes and start skating with friends across cross-platform sessions.
While optional cosmetics, battle passes, and virtual currency packages are standard expectations in modern multiplayer games, gating foundational spaces crosses a line for many long-term fans. Full Circle has a chance to course-correct and address these community concerns before the March release, but the initial rollout has undeniably shaken player trust. You can read the original report over at Kotaku to get all the details on how the Grom update is shaping up.
Tags: Skate, Full Circle, Gaming News, Live Service, Kotaku
Original article: kotaku