Latest news with #THPS3+4
Business Mayor
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Mayor
The enduring cool of skateboarding games
More than 25 years after the first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater put skateboarding games on the map, developers are still finding new ways to explore skating in video games, especially in 2025. Skateboarding fans are about to have some promising new games to play, with Activision's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 remake releasing in July and EA is set to launch its online-only, free-to-play Skate revival this year. In 2022, my colleague Andrew Webster wrote that we're in a golden age for skateboarding games, and things haven't really slowed down. So what is it that makes skateboarding so good for video games, and allows so many different expressions of the sport from different studios? 'I think skateboarding is one of those things that's just always cool,' THPS 3 + 4 game director Kurt Tillmanns tells The Verge . 'It's an evergreen fantasy, in both real life and games. Being a skateboarder is a sign of what and who is cool.' He says 'there's a reason that we're all in awe of what these people can do.' Part of what makes skateboarding cool is the music, fashion, and art, and video games let people experience that skateboarding culture, too, Tillmanns says. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4. Image: Activision Also, 'it's safer,' jokes Andrew Schimmel, a senior producer at Snowman, the creators of the Skate City series. He says there's a lot of people that would probably love to try skateboarding but don't want to risk breaking a bone. 'Being able to dive into a fantasy world where you can act that out and see the gnarly consequences and not have to suffer from them is like immediately appealing.' Read More Riot doubles down on music for Valorant Champions Tour 2023 It helps that games take so many different approaches to skateboarding. 'The skate community is so diverse, so it makes sense that there's an appetite for all different types of games — some more realistic, some more arcade, some more casual,' says Skate executive producer Mike McCartney. For the new Skate , 'it's all about re-creating a skateboarding experience that reflects the freedom of exploration, discovery, and expression you see in skate culture. We really wanted to respect the roots of the franchise, while bringing the game forward.' Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games will always have what's in the title: 'They've got Tony Hawk, and they've got pro skaters,' Tillmanns says. That includes things like their styles and their personalities — even the special tricks for the skaters are a representation of their style in real life. Tony Hawk is very involved, too, even with the 3 + 4 remakes. Hawk 'is where the culture comes from' and he has a 'real eye for detail' about what goes in the games. 'He knows that this game is the lexicon for skaters for the next few years,' according to Tillmanns. The THPS series also strikes a nice mix of an arcade-y experience and a skateboarding simulation. It has generally realistic physics and locations, but also lets you pull off outlandish tricks, strive for video game-y goals (S-K-A-T-E, anyone?), and play as some not-real characters in wacky places. For the Skate City games, the Snowman team had to think a lot about how to make skateboarding work on mobile. The first launched as an Apple Arcade exclusive, and Skate City: New York is currently an exclusive there, too, so the Snowman team had to figure out a mobile control scheme that 'feels novel and fits the sport' that's also approachable enough to serve a wide audience, Schimmel says. Your two thumbs represent your front and back foot, and you flick your thumbs to emulate flick tricks with skateboarding. Read More vWii Homebrew Channel with Gamepad Support - Skate City: New York. Image: Snowman Developers I spoke with think there's still a lot of ways skateboarding games can grow, too. 'Skateboarding never stops evolving and neither will our game,' Skate 's head of creative, Jeff Seamster, says. 'The creativity of skaters consistently blows my mind. The spots they find, the tricks they're (still) inventing, the vibrant style… we couldn't have imagined today's scene from where we were standing 15, 10, or even five years ago. So, who knows what we'll see tomorrow?' 'Multiplayer and online can always be the next frontier,' Tillmanns says. THPS 3+4 will have crossplay, and the team is excited about 'increasing that pool of online players to something that we've never seen before in a Tony Hawk game.' Schimmel points to games like OlliOlli World (a cartoony, side-scrolling skateboarding adventure) and Skate Story (a psychedelic-looking skateboarding game set to launch this year) that are highlighting skateboarding in different ways. 'In terms of what hasn't been done, I think there's probably lots to explore,' he says.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Here's More Evidence That A New Tony Hawk Game Is Coming
I've got some good news for all you fans of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and its various video game spin-offs, sequels, and remasters. A skateboarder recently claimed that he will be included in a yet-be-announced remaster of a Tony Hawk skateboarding video game. It's yet one more piece of evidence that a new Tony Hawk game is in the works. On February 18, in an interview with the Breakfast Club podcast, professional skateboarder Tyshawn Jones talked about how he started skating, and his ongoing career. And during the interview, Jones offhandedly mentioned a new Tony Hawk game. I'm in a Tony Hawk [game] coming out, so that's cool,' said Jones. 'They got a new one they're remastering. So that's about to come out. I was in the last one.' Jones, who is 26, seems to be referring to his appearance in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, the last game released in the franchise. This remake of the first two games in the series launched in 2020. This is the only THPS game that Jones has appeared in, so he seems to be indicating that a new game—his second appearance in the series—is coming soon. Activision has yet to announce anything. This isn't the first time we've heard about a new Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game being in development. Back in September 2024, Tony Hawk himself confirmed that him and THPS publisher Activision were talking and 'working on something.' Hawk later followed that tease up with another, claiming that while he wasn't allowed to say anything, he could confirm the beloved skateboarding franchise did indeed have a 'future.' That sounds a lot like a new game is coming! The question now is what is this new THPS game going to be? In today's interview appearance, Jones claims it's a remaster of some kind. Perhaps this next game will be THPS 3+4, as was first pitched a few years ago following the success of THPS 1+2. Activision wasn't interested at the time. Or maybe it's a remaster or remake of Tony Hawk's Underground, my favorite game in the series and a fan favorite. Or maybe its a totally new mobile game and we are all getting way too excited about these teases. One thing is for sure: There seems to be a new Tony Hawk skateboarding game in our near future. Let's hope its good. . For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
