Activision pole position in the world of virtual skating is about to be challenged. EA Black Box just announced SKATE, the upcoming title to challenge Tony Hawk's throne and its longevous existence in the top of the skating titles. The Canadian studios have a long history of game developing and agreed to fully become an EA subsidiary in 1998. Being developed along with the yet to be released NFS Carbon, the new title promises to be "the most authentic skateboard videogame experience" ever. SKATE will be released for both Playstation and Xbox 360 later next year, as the deadline is yet to be announced.

"Our game offers a skate Mecca for both skaters and gamers in search of the definitive authentic skating video game experience," said Scott Blackwood, executive producer, EA Black Box. "We're focused on capturing the actual feeling of skating with the innovative control system, the physics driven animations, and the intelligent cameras working together to really deliver the closest thing to being on a board."

Although the game will feature professional skaters like Danny Way and PJ Ladd, SKATE appears to focus more on skating itself than the star players involved. EA Black Box promises an innovative control scheme to fully encompass the delights of skating, even in the virtual world. Authentic cameras are placed along the course, within an interactive skateboarding city. While these moves could partially be found in Tony Hawk, EA plays its trump card with physically correct gameplay to revive the "true feeling of skating". It should be a good change considering the button mash fest you'd need in order to pull off a special move in Tony Hawk.