Summary
- Skateboarding icon Tony Hawk is hinting at the development of a new Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary.
- Tony Hawk has previously hinted at his involvement with a new project from Activision, sparking speculation that the beloved skateboarding franchise may be making a comeback.
- One of the Pro Skater franchise's biggest rivals in Skate will also be making a return next year, with EA releasing Skate 4 as a free-to-play live service game.
Prolific skateboarder Tony Hawk is potentially teasing the development of a new Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game, celebrating the anniversary of the iconic skateboarding franchise. The beloved series of skateboarding games took the gaming community by storm in the late 1990s and early 2000s as the games introduced an entire generation to the extreme sport. The franchise bearing the name of the professional skateboarder has released nearly 20 games, most recently launching a remake of the first two Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games. Now, another new entry in the series may be on the way.
While Tony Hawk's Pro Skater has receded into the background throughout recent years, the franchise saw annual releases during its heyday. The first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was released in 1999 with three numbered entries following it before the franchise began experimenting with different styles with the Tony Hawk's Underground games. After a thirteen-year gap between numbered games, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 would debut in 2015 to largely negative reviews. However, the series may now be gearing up to make a return, according to its titular star.
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As reported by VGC, Tony Hawk recently teased a possible new entry in the Pro Skater franchise through his official Instagram account. The post celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise, with Hawk expressing his gratitude and appreciation towards Activision, Neversoft, and his fellow featured skateboarders. The pro skater concludes the post with a cryptic message about the franchise, teasing that "there will be a future" for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. The post follows previous teasers from Tony Hawk about a new project with Activision.
Tony Hawk Teasing New Pro Skater Game
The potential return of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise is expected to be joined by the revival of one of the series' biggest rivals. EA revealed that Skate 4 will be entering early access in 2025, marking fifteen years since the release of its predecessor in Skate 3. The developer revealed that the newest Skate game, rebranded as skate. For its launch, will be releasing as a free-to-play live service title. The new entry in the Tony Hawk competitor franchise will also add a full replay system for the first time in the series' history.
While large-scale AAA skateboarding games have largely faded into the background in recent years, many indie games have strived to keep the hobby alive. 2022's OlliOlli World saw critical and commercial success, even receiving a nomination for "Best Sports/Racing Game" at the 2022 Game Awards. Other games have looked to incorporate skateboarding in unique ways, like indie developer Phantom Coast's Helskate and Glass Bottom Games' Skatebird. A new Tony Hawk game would look to continue the legacy of one of gaming's most iconic skateboarding franchises.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is a series of skateboarding games from Activision. The original trilogy of games, which were developed by Neversoft and released between 1999 and 2001, were huge hits with critics.
2002's Pro Skater 4 was also well received, although 2015's Pro Skater 5 received a brutal 32 Metascore on PS4. The first two Pro Skater games were remastered in 2020.