Yes, that's exactly what I meant. Even though The Crew was a paid game, something similar happened with Multiversus, for example; they sold passes until they shut down the server, even though it was free. In fact, the battle pass system with free-to-play games has been around for a while now. It's like the only direct way for developers to monetize the game firsthand.
Skate was amazing in its time. And this game is like a second wind; hopefully, it will revive all those old Skate players. Recommend this to your cousin; he'll definitely like it. Thanks for your comment.
Next time I'm talking to him I'm going to let him know! Good post!