When Tony Hawk: Shred released it performed terribly, with only 3000 copies sold in its first month, causing the publisher Activision to halt the series in 2011. If you thought the publisher – who has already indefinitely closed some of its IPs including True Crime and Guitar Hero – was going to stop the Tony Hawk series, then you’d be wrong; Tony himself has confirmed the skateboarding IP still has a future.
The veteran skateboarder recently confirmed to Pixelated Geek that the Tony Hawk video game series is still very much alive and kicking. Hawk said:
We’re right in the middle of making a whole new plan right now. We’re going to do something probably for next year but I can’t give too much away. But definitely we’re going to make new games, yes.
After the last game’s disappointing sales figures gamers pondered whether the existence of the IP should be continued. Activision’s CEO certainly saw potential when he said this last year:
The one question that I can answer, and remarkably so, is that Tony Hawk does really still have relevance and tremendous appeal for people. He is a lasting icon. He has that Michael Jordan-ish or Jordan-esque staying power, seemingly. And that doesn’t mean that other great skaters haven’t come up who are younger and more current, but he really is that kind of Mount Rushmore-level guy in that category, so that’s not the issue. I think we have to ask all the smart questions and make some smart moves in terms of innovation to see if we can recapture people’s imaginations.
The Tony Hawk video game series has been overshadowed by EA’s Skate IP for years now. However, do you believe that Tony Hawk still holds the same relevance as it did all those years ago? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
