Skate 2 was recently announced to be making a return to Xbox consoles as part of a long list of games that Microsoft announced would be coming back via backwards compatibility. The bad news? EA is still turning off the game's online servers next month.
In tweets from the Skate Twitter account (below), the team at EA celebrated with fans after Skate 2 was announced to be one of over seventy titles that would be making its way to Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles via backwards compatibility. The studio shortly followed this up, however, with a short but disappointing reminder that the game's servers wouldn't be sticking around for too much longer.
"We’re providing a heads up that on December 10, 2021, we will be turning off the Skate 2 online servers for PlayStation and Xbox," confirmed the tweet. "It’s not an easy decision and not something we take lightly," the studio continued before providing links to further information.
Additionally, we’re providing a heads up that on December 10, 2021, we will be turning off the Skate 2 online servers for PlayStation and Xbox. It’s not an easy decision and not something we take lightly. For more info check: https://t.co/98V9WH3W8C
— skate. (@skateEA) November 15, 2021
The decision by EA comes after Skate 2 has seemingly become another in a long list of games that has seen its online fanbase dwindle to a point of near extinction. While the game's inclusion in Xbox's backwards compatibility list may have helped to remedy this situation, it seems that's not enough to convince EA to stick with the game.
Thankfully, Skate 2's classic single player experience will remain intact, which will hopefully still provide that much needed hit of nostalgia for the community. If you're really hoping to get in some multiplayer, you only have a few weeks left to do so.
Skate's last entry into the series came with Skate 3 in 2010. However, last year, EA announced that it was reviving the series with a new Skate sequel that the publisher said was in early development at the time. Following the announcement, the company later confirmed that the upcoming project is being developed by a new Vancouver-based EA studio called Full Circle.
Microsoft's decision to make the wide array of original Xbox and Xbox 360 games backwards compatible comes as part of a number of celebrations surrounding Xbox's 20th anniversary. For more from the world of Xbox, make sure to check out this piece detailing how Game Pass was originally going to be a rental service before the success of streaming platforms such as Netflix.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.