Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 were instant hits in the later days of the PlayStation 1, with Pro Skater 3 becoming an even bigger hit on the PlayStation 2 and considered one of the console’s best game. It’s only been four years since the last Tony Hawk Pro Skater release, and the man himself confirmed on his Instagram that more are on the way.
“The original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was released exactly 25 years ago today,” Hawk posted. “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).”
Pro Skater’s popularity helped usher in a slew of similar titles for different sports like snowboarding with the SSX series, and professional snowboarder Shaun White led with his own gaming series for the sport as well.
Hawk’s post continued with how the game changed his life and introduced him to a generation of fans outside the normal X-Games crowd.
“[The game] 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.”
In the post, Hawk had some footage of him performing moves for the mocap for the game in the development phase. “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 added. “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.”
In 2020, Pro Skater 1 and 2 were remade with modern graphics and released as a single game, making it the first major console game in the series since 2015’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5. In addition to the Pro Skater games, the series also included other skateboarding titles like Underground, Shred, Ride, American Wasteland, Project 8, Motion, and Downhill Jam.
After Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 release, there was reportedly a second remake in the works for Pro Skater 3 and 4 from developer Vicarious Visions. These plans were nixed in favor of the developer working as a Call of Duty support studio. Vicarious was merged with Blizzard in 2022, losing its name and becoming known as Blizzard Albany.
