“The originalTony Hawk’s Pro Skaterwas releasedexactly 25 years ago today,” and Tony Hawk has some heartfelt words for all his fans.
It’s a small, ‘best-I-can-say-right-now’ nugget of hope, but for those uncertain about the future of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, it’s a significant ledge to grab onto.
Thanks to Activision, Neversoft (RIP) and all of you that played THPS in those formative years. I’m not supposed to tease anything else about the future of the series; but there will be a future.
Plenty Of Games And A Celebrated Remake Have Kept Fans Playing
As a franchise, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater has had plenty of games - but they’re few and far between as of late. And even then, recent entries have lacked the gravitas of those from the early 2000s.
Its most recent game, a remake of thefirst two Pro Skater titles, made our top 10 list ofall-time great remakes- but a recreation isn’t quite the same thing as a new game. Reportedly, a remake of the third and fourth game was also in the works, butgot canceled.
Tony Hawk’s Underground Series Is The Best Skating Series of All Time
From the underground to the top of the heap.
That remake is four years old. Before that, a free mobile game was released in 2018. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 was released nine years ago, thirteen years after Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 (feel old yet?).
Tony Hawk Has Given Fans Real Hope For The Future Of The Franchise
The full Instagram reel is embedded below. Tony Hawk especially thanks you if you’ve followed the franchise since its humble beginnings.
There Will Be a Future For Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is far from the only franchise to linger in ambient uncertainty, and it is also not the first franchise to see a ray of hopethis week.
Some games, like Call of Duty, have little to fear from droughts like this. A future game - even years of future games - is more of a ‘when’ than an ‘if’ type of situation. For other games, there is little need for sequels. Everyone has their favorite one-shot, standalone experience that needs no expansion.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 Becomes Fastest Entry in Franchise to Reach 1 Million Copies Sold
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 has set a new sales record for the long-running series, which bodes well for the future.
And then, there’s limbo. Fantastic games that certainly deserve more and have the capacity for more. But for one reason or another,they never actually get more. For them, on occasion, we get little glimmers of light.
Sometimes, individual developers join the fans in a rallying cry. Other times,fans create experiencesof their own.
And sometimes, we get Tony Hawk. We get an outright statement that something is coming, with enough lawyer-speak “my hands are tied” baggage to hint at movement behind the scenes.
