Electronic Arts Inc. today revealed the next title in the company’s landmark skateboarding franchise: SKATE 3, and confirmed that it will ship in May 2010. SKATE 3 breaks new ground by taking all of the camaraderie and competitive excitement of real-life skateboarding and brings it to the hands of gamers.

Whether online or offline, players can now team up to build the ultimate skate crew in the definitive skateboarding co-op experience. In SKATE 3, players take part in team-based challenges, compete against rival crews and leave their mark on the all-new skater’s paradise, Port Carverton.

“The social and community aspects of the SKATE franchise are something we’ve always embraced, but we’ve never done anything to the scale you’re going to see in SKATE 3, we’re giving gamers a very unique experience by providing them with the tools they need to build their ultimate team or to create a team comprised entirely of their online friends. From there, it’s all about proving yourself – teaming up, and throwing down.”

– Jason DeLong, SKATE 3 Senior Producer

Players who pre-order SKATE 3 get an unlock code that gives them exclusive access to the iconic Black Box Distribution Skate Park, home turf of Zero, Mystery, and Fallen skate teams. Black Box Distribution was founded in 2000 by Jamie Thomas, and houses and distributes some of skateboarding’s biggest selling brands .

SKATE 3 features an all-new co-op mode where teammates can complete challenges together while advancing each other’s careers. From rewarding epic bails and fails with a beefed up Hall of Meat mode to honing your craft with the all-new skate. School, players of all skill levels have multiple ways to “kill it” in the game. The franchise also continues to raise the bar for user created content with the skate. Create feature suite, an innovative toolset that empowers gamers to truly express their skate style by creating their own graphics, videos, and skate parks.