EA takes on Tony Hawk

EA is preparing to take on Activision's venerable Tony Hawk's franchise, with a rival skateboarding effort entitled SKATE.

SKATE is under development at the company's Vancouver studio, and is slated for a 2007 release on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. In the style of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, it will include the likenesses of 14 pro skaters.

Beyond that, little is currently known about the title, which will need all of EA's legendary marketing backing if it is to make an impression against Tony Hawk's Project 8 and Downhill Jam, the latest iterations of the (admittedly less popular than it once was) Activision franchise. It won't be EA's first skateboarding game, though -- that distinction falls to 1987's Skate or Die!