Tony Hawk celebrates 25th anniversary of ‘Pro Skater’, promises series has a “future”
Tony Hawk has celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Pro Skater series with a throwback post that also hints at a “future” for the skating franchise.
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The original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was released September 29, 1999 and spawned a number of sequels, spin-offs and copycat titles. The game saw players take control of a number of real world skaters, as they attempted to complete a number of skate-inspired objectives.
Taking to social media yesterday (September 29) Hawk wrote: “The original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was released exactly 25 years ago today. My intention and expectation for the game was mostly for the enjoyment of skateboarders. I had no idea it would transcend a niche market to become a massive success and – as some have argued – change the course of skateboarding’s popularity (and possibly even skate trick evolution).
“It definitely changed the course of my life, and is a big reason that I get to ride my skateboard for a living to this very day. And most of the featured characters are still out there ripping and representing skateboarding’s diversity in the best ways possible,” he added.
Alongside the post, Hawk shared a BTS look at creating the game. “I poured myself into every aspect of this project because I believed we were creating something exceptional, and I am immensely proud of the series that followed… and their soundtracks,” he explained. “Thanks to Activision, Neversoft (RIP) and all of you that played THPS in those formative years.”
Earlier this month, Hawk confirmed that “something” was in the works with publisher Activision to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pro Skater, but wouldn’t go into specifics. “It will be something the fans will truly appreciate,” he added.
On social media yesterday, Hawk admitted he wasn’t supposed to tease anything about the future of the series before confirming “there will be a future”.
In 2020, a remastered collection of the first two Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games was released by Vicarious Vision and, despite plans for the third and fourth games to also get remastered, the project was ultimately scrapped. The last mainline Tony Hawk’s game was 2015’s Pro Skater 5.
In other news, Sucker Punch has explained why its upcoming Ghost Of Tsushima sequel, Ghost Of Yōtei, will have a completely different protagonist.
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Ali Shutler
NME
