EA's skateboard reportedly added microtransactions before early access, as it seems its alpha test is also designed to get feedback on items purchased.

According to reports, EA's skateboarding – or ice skating. -Introduction to the microtransactions we know earlier than some expected and send a message to the player that the player has obviously sent some virtual currencies in the ongoing closed alpha tests in the game.

This is according to Insider Gaming, which recently quoted a message that was recently sent to players participating in the test, informing them that a virtual currency called San Van Bucks is being offered and that people will be able to use it to buy cosmetics.

Depending on how you see things, the reasoning about this now seems very benign, as EA suggests that it wants to collect feedback from the player on the system in a hope of providing a “positive experience when buying items from a skating store.”

According to the skating website, this is before the game's early access is released, which will take place sometime in 2025. It sounds like you are now making any purchases immediately with the purchased currency, and if your game progress is reset and rolled out in early access to the skateboard, they will be converted to San Van Bucks.

iGamesNews has been contacted by EA for comment.

As I mentioned, we've known for a while that skateboarding will play with microtransactions for free, but a lot of the anger that started this news seems to be mainly because the currency is already so early in the game's release cycle before getting a full release date. Will people still be upset if the currency is first added in an early access phase or in a full release? Probably, but it seems that at least some people think that doing this during Alpha is going to go a step further than that.

How do you view the way EA is approaching the monetization of skateboards? Let us know below!