Because the Skate team’s letter does not explicitly address the nature of the leak, there is some ambiguity around the matter. Loot boxes might still appear in Skate, but not as “Paid Loot Boxes.” EA may also be implying that loot boxes that may be acquired in-game but still bought with real money are not the same as “Paid Loot Boxes.” It’s also likely that EA is only testing loot boxes as a reward system and has no plans to use them at launch.
It goes without saying that Skate is a free-to-play game. Long-term success will be totally dependent on revenue and player retention. Owing to previous problems, EA may be unable to integrate paid loot boxes, but in-game loot box incentives may still be a possibility due to how they motivate users to repeat content. If it’s not loot boxes, it’s probably something close.
