Skate Story will release on December 8 for PS5, the PlayStation Blog announced today. The title is a solo project from developer Sam Eng, and it casts players as a glass-bodied demon skating through the Underworld to devour the Moon and satisfy a devilish contract. PlayStation Blog linked back to an earlier post about the project from March, the previous entry is available on the PlayStation Blog.
Skate Story – based on a true story
Skate Story grew out of Sam Eng’s vision and personal storytelling. The game leans into dark humor and surreal details while treating its premise as if it happened in the real world, with some names and locations altered for privacy.
Original soundtrack by Blood Cultures
New York City textures inform the game’s sound. Band Blood Cultures composed a 12-track original score that uses field recordings and found-object samples to reflect the citys noise and rhythm. The approach frames the Underworld as a place of movement and tension, not just a backdrop for skating.
“When I was working on the soundtrack, Sam gave me some insane instructions. He was like, ‘I dunno, maybe make it sound industrial… it’s the underworld, you know?’ Industrial? So I decided to apply for a job at the local train depot. I was worried they wouldn’t like the bag I keep over my head, but I figured everyone would be wearing masks anyway! They were actually really nice, but they kept insisting I take off my jacket. I’m not doing that! So I didn’t get the job. The foreman said ‘don’t trip on the way out!’ I should have heeded the warning because I tripped on several metal beams. What a tumble! It sounded glorious! Then I realized… I should sample New York itself!
So then I went around the city, with my little pocket field recorder and a variety of little objects: spoons, chopsticks, my grandmother’s father’s watch, and started recording myself hitting objects! I eventually realized that inanimate objects work pretty good, and I was able to get some really nice samples from that. I recorded so many sounds of the city. I sampled obscure pillars under the bridge, to classic sounds like the rare subway screech at the last stop.”
– Blood Cultures
Dynamic board wear, and stickers you will lose
Skate Story tracks how a deck is used. Nose pops, tailslides, grinds, and slides will wear specific parts of a board. Shops scattered through the Underworld let players trade portions of a leased soul for new decks, trucks, and wheels. Stickers act as customization and minor protection. Each sticker is single use, so once applied it is stuck. Grind it off if placement goes wrong. Over time stickers will wear away, emphasizing a transient approach to customization.
DualSense lights will dazzle in the dark
DualSense features play into atmosphere. The light bar reflects the Skater’s glass body and the Underworlds ambient lights. Tricks trigger subtle lighting effects tied to motion and the environment.
STOMP combines combos and damage
Combos grow by chaining varied tricks at speed and over obstacles. Repeating the same trick or skating slowly will raise the combo less. Executing a STOMP projects the entire combo as a damaging burst around the player, then resets the combo so a new line can begin.
Three in-article video assets were included in the original announcement as examples of gameplay and presentation. Canonical source URLs for those videos are shown below as plain links.
