EA asks Skate 4 fans not to download cracked playtest, confirming the cracked playtest is real

gamesradar.com:

After a cracked build of Skate 4 - or simply 'skate.' as EA desperately wants us to call it - appeared in the wild, the developers are asking players not to download it, effectively confirming that the leak is real.

"We’re aware of an earlier version of the game that has been distributed without our authorization," the devs say in the announcement (opens in new tab). "This build is from September 2021 and was never intended for external use. While we understand you’re excited to get into the game, we encourage you to be careful when downloading files from unknown sources (and remind you of the potential consequences of breaking EA’s Terms of Service)."

The developers say more official information on Skate 4 will be revealed on Thursday, July 14, as part of a stream labeled 'The Board Room (opens in new tab)'.

Footage of the leaked Skate 4 build started rising to prominence last week, thanks to a post on the Gaming Leaks and Rumors subreddit (opens in new tab). The footage posted there has now been taken down, and EA has seemingly banned the account of the player who posted it. Still, numerous others have been posting gameplay footage to YouTube, and it does not currently take much effort to find some extensive looks at the game.

Official playtest signups launched at the end of June, and the devs intend to gradually let more and more people into current builds of the game. So if you want to play it ahead of launch, soon you won't even have to resort to piracy.

This isn't the first time Skate 4 leaks have hit the internet.