For those sick of the stagnation and laziness of the Tony Hawk series, Black Box’s Skate was a breath of fresh air. With intuitive controls and a greater amount of realism the title was a real challenge to the monopoly of its rival from Activision. Not only that, but the game pushed the bar with product placement and showed that games can deliver advertising in a way that is appropriate and relevant to the game’s content.

In many ways it would have been weird to not have real skating brands present in Skate. Well, Black Box is determined to further blend the real world of skating and the brands that make it what it is with their virtual world by partnering with skating footwear and apparel brand, Etnies, to bring their real-world Goofy vs. Regular skateboarding contest to Skate 2. On top of that, Etnies is also designing an exclusive shoe that will hit retailers in the United States when the game ships.

“The Skate franchise has always been committed to showcasing the spirit and soul of skateboard culture,” said Executive Producer, Scott Blackwood. “The Etnies GvR competition celebrates the fun, creativity and talent in skateboarding today. Featuring the event as one of the main competitions in Skate 2 felt like a natural integration and a perfect fit.”

Skate 2 will be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in early 2009.