With new parks, skaters, and quality of life improvements, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is much more than a remaster, and on May 8, the Birdman himself gathered with other pro skateboarders to celebrate the upcoming release in style. Held at Los Angeles’ El Rey theatre, THPS Fest brought many of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4’s new and returning characters together for a night of hands-on gameplay, music from the game’s soundtrack performers, and brand collaborations. The invite-only event was also streamed on Twitch to bring those who weren’t there into the action.
While ScreenRant’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 hands-on experience praises game studio Iron Galaxy’s success on the gameplay side, THPS Fest also highlighted how authentic the arcade-style game is to skateboarding culture as a whole. The upcoming game manages to represent just about all eras of skateboarding by including culture-defining icons like Rodney Mullen (the man who invented the flatground ollie and kickflip), leaders of the exponentially-growing women’s skate scene, including Lizzie Armanto, skater’s skaters like Jamie Foy, and Olympic medalists like Japan’s Yuto Horigome.
ScreenRant interviewed Tony Hawk about Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 at THPS Fest, and spoke with Rodney Mullen, Lizzie Armanto, Jamie Foy, Jamie Thomas, and Geoff Rowley on the event’s red carpet. Hawk explained how the game came to be after it was canceled, while the other pros reflected on their involvement in the franchise. Plus–for the skate nerds out there–Rodney Mullen revealed a new video project he’s working on.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 Was A Surprise, Even To Tony Hawk
But The Skater Says He’ll “Campaign All I Can” For More Remakes
When Vicarious Visions’ Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 was released to sweepingly positive reviews in 2020, remasters of later franchise entries seemed like a no-brainer–that is, until Vicarious Visions merged into Blizzard Entertainment and a planned Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 was officially canceled. That’s why, when asked how the game finally got made, Tony Hawk himself said, “I don’t know how it came to be.”
“Activision hit me up and said, ‘I think we found the right studio to do 3+4’ out of nowhere,” Hawk shared, adding, “It really wasn’t something that I knew they were actively looking for.” Although he isn’t sure what behind-the-scenes developments got Activision to greenlight the game, in his words, “I was so excited to get the call.”
For the forward-looking Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater fans, this means it’s Activision, not Hawk himself, who has the power to get future games like the beloved Tony Hawk’s Underground remade for the modern era. “I always have aspirations, [but] it’s not up to me, generally,” Hawk said. “I’ll campaign all I can, but I’m working with a much bigger company that’s a lot smarter than me.”
How Bam Margera, Jamie Foy, Lizzie Armanto & More Were Chosen For THPS 3+4
Hawk & Activision Made Sure The Game “Represents All Facets Of Skateboarding”
The biggest news about Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 since its announcement may be the reveal that pro skater and Jackass crew member Bam Margera will be included as a playable character. After battles with sobriety that saw him removed from 2022’s Jackass Forever, Margera’s inclusion in THPS 3+4 is a big win for the skater and his many fans. As to how that happened, skateboarder Roger Bagley said off-camera on The Nine Club podcast that Hawk called Activision to advocate for Margera.
“It’s true in a sense, yeah,” Hawk said when asked to confirm, adding, “I’m just stoked to have Bam in the mix.” He continued: “He’s such an icon of the series and came to be a big presence in later games, and I feel like we’re celebrating so much history of the game [that] it would be a disservice to have Bam out of it.”
“I’m stoked he’s here, I’m stoked he’s doing well, and, if you’ve seen him skating recently, he’s back at it.”
But Bam isn’t the only noteworthy addition. Birdhouse Skateboards pro Lizzie Armanto returns after her introduction in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, calling it “a little bit of a relief just to be included.» She continued to say, «I feel like the first time is one thing, but getting to continue to be in the series–I feel honored. I knew [the game] before I got into skating, so being a part of it is not something I ever imagined.”
Two-time Thrasher Skater of the Year Jamie Foy said something similar: “I grew up playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, so being able to come here and be surrounded by some of the legends I grew up watching, and be here kind of on the same field as them, is definitely a dream come true.” But he was just as surprised as Armanto to be chosen. “I don’t know,” he replied when asked how it came together. “Honestly, my manager got hit up and was like, ‘Hey man, we have this opportunity if you’re down.’”
“I was like, ‘No questions asked–yes, one hundred percent.’”
Hawk shed a little more light on how it happened, calling Foy one of the “obvious picks”. For the rest of the skaters–a list that also includes French pro Aurélien Giraud and Brazilian phenom Rayssa Leal–Hawk worked with Activision in “a collective opinion process and voting process [deciding] what represents all facets of skateboarding.”
Original THPS Pros Reflect On Joining The First Games
“I Didn’t Want To Be Involved With A Game That Was Kooky”
It’s hard to imagine as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 rolls toward its release date, but the prospect of a Tony Hawk-branded arcade-style skateboarding game wasn’t immediately appealing to some pro skateboarders during its development in the late ‘90s. “We were excited to be part of Tony’s game. [We] didn’t expect it to do much more than maybe a year or two,” Rodney Mullen admitted.
Pro skater and Zero skateboards founder Jamie Thomas gave his okay to join the franchise, but also worked diligently to advocate for the authenticity of how skateboarding was portrayed. “I played the first four games a lot,” he shared, adding, “Probably more than every other pro.” This was partially because Thomas found himself laid out by back-to-back knee injuries–a nightmare for any skateboarder–but it was also because “I didn’t want to be involved with a game that was kooky.”
“I was able to give them tons of feedback, help them with trick names, and help them with all sorts of stuff,” Thomas said, “And they were already on the right track–I just was basically giving inside information.”
English skateboarder Geoff Rowley had no doubts: “Not one bit,” he replied, when asked if it took any convincing for him to join the original Pro Skater. “I trust Tony Hawk’s intention with skateboarding, and I support it. I always have, and I probably always will. It was an honor to be included … it was very clear that we were with the right people doing the right thing.”
How THPS Special Tricks Are Made, Explained
“Because We’re In A Video Game Realm, We Can Be Fantastical About The Tricks”
One of the most iconic aspects of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise is, of course, the special tricks, which come in different categories. Some are utterly impossible, which Hawk justified by saying although the game is “representative of real skating … because we’re in a video game realm, we can be fantastical about the tricks. There are plenty of tricks that are ridiculous and silly, and it’s always been like that.”
Other special tricks pulled for the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise were actual things that pros had put on video. One such trick is the Rowley darkslide, about which Rowley himself was quick to say “I didn’t give them that name. People just started calling that version of the darkslide the Rowley darkslide because I put my foot in a different place.” And, in real life, there isn’t even a single version of that trick: “I put [my feet] in a different place every time. It’s not always in the same position,” Rowley said, “that’s just skateboarding.”
In Hawk’s mind, though, the wildest thing about the THPS franchise’s special tricks is the way they have inspired skateboarders to push the sport’s boundaries out in the streets. “There were so many combos that you could do back in the day that didn’t seem possible in real life,” Hawk said on the subject, “so they were fun to do in a video game. Now, when you see people like Shane O’Neill and Yuto [Horigome] and Nyjah [Huston], those things are real.”
Lizzie Armanto Reflects On THPS Truly Embracing Women’s Skateboarding
Armanto Praised “So Many Great Examples That Weren’t There When I Was A Kid”
Something especially worth noting about Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is the feature on women skateboarders in the game, as well as the inclusion of transgender and non-binary Nike rider Leo Baker. Most skateboarders would be quick to call the skateboarding community inclusive, but the original run of THPS games only included one woman skater in Florida-born Elissa Steamer (who does return in the remakes). In fairness, much has changed in the world of women’s skateboarding since then.
Women’s skateboarding is now a key component of global competitions like the X-Games, Street League Skateboarding, and the Olympics, which feeds enthusiasm in an ever-progressing scene. Lizzie Armanto weighed in on what it meant to be joined in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 by skaters like Rayssa Leal, Chloe Covell, and Margielyn Didal, saying, “It means so much. I trip out at my time in skateboarding–which is very short in the scheme of things–to see so much change and see so many great examples that weren’t there when I was a kid.”
“I feel like when you’re younger and you see someone who you relate to, that can really change your world.”
“I feel like [skateboarding] really changed my trajectory,” Armanto said, adding, “It really helped me find myself, and I hope that other people find their passion, whether that’s in skateboarding, something else, or something adjacent. When you listen to the thing inside that draws you, some of those things are what life is about. Life is about having fun, ing your passions, [and] pushing yourself. Sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t, [but] in skateboarding, every day you skate, you learn [that] things don’t just come first try.”
“You have to put in the effort, have the vision, and be open to the possibilities.”
Pros Reflect On The Legacy Of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
“This Is Permanent”
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater changed skateboarding culture, and, arguably, video game culture, forever. It spawned an entire genre of skateboarding games (although Rockstar Games’ Thrasher Presents Skate & Destroy released the same year as the first THPS), encouraged countless people to pick up skateboards, and brought attention to the community as a whole. “I never imagined that our game would create a franchise, first of all, or a genre of games,” Hawk said, before calling the advent of games like EA’s Skate “competitive, but it’s also not–just like skateboarding.”
Writer’s Note: As someone who grew up with the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games, I have distinct memories of visiting places in the real world, only to recognize them from THPS levels–and I’m not alone. I told Tony that I knew my way around Alcatraz when I visited thanks to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4, and he shared that he did too: “I actually had never been until after the game was released, and so I had the same experience.”
“It [turned] into opening the whole culture to what we share,” Rodney Mullen said on the subject. He continued in the artfully artistic way only Mullen does: “The credibility it’s given to so many of my peers who contributed something that is such a facet of our lives to a broader picture… that gives us a sense of meaning that transcends anything we could have done within our careers, if that makes sense.”
“The skate and the contest records, they’re all ephemeral. This is permanent.”
Tony Hawk, Rodney Mullen & Lizzie Armanto Share What’s Next
From Stage Shows To Long-Awaited Video Parts
The future of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater as an institution may be unknown, but the skateboarders in the game have plenty going on. Hawk himself is in the midst of working on a theatrical production combining music and skateboarding–and he’s collaborating with Devo founder Mark Mothersbaugh, saying, “We’re working on a theater production … it’s Mark Mothersbaugh and I, and we’re deep in the weeds.”
More conventionally, Lizzie Armanto is also hard at work collecting footage for a new skateboarding part. “I’m working with Monster,” she said, continuing, “We’ve been traveling and going to some really cool places.” She’s also excited about the way the Monster team is growing: “There’s a lot more women on the team, and the morale and the vibe [are] so different. And that makes me proud to be a skateboarder.”
“I feel like there’s so many girls that are coming up and ripping and it inspires me,” she added, continuing, “It’s so weird to see myself in the girls coming up because I am like, ‘Wait, no, no, I’m still doing the same thing.’ I love it, but it’s a trip.”
58-year-old Rodney Mullen, perhaps the most influential skateboarder of all time, also revealed that he has “almost two minutes of footage” for a new video part. For context, the last collection of new Mullen footage came out 8 years ago in collaboration with Vogue, but his most recent proper skateboard video part was in 2004’s Almost Round 3. Body health issues have plagued Mullen in recent years, but at the THPS Fest red carpet, he said “thanks to modern medicine, I filmed last night.”
“I’m a little sore today,” he said, but the way he described filming new footage makes that sound like the most minor of issues: “What surprises me watching it is the joy coming out. It’s natural. I’ll be mid-trick, pulling it into landing, and crack up in laughter. I have never done that. I think part of that is thinking I’d never have that feeling again. Coming back, it’s water to a guy in the desert–the joy. That’s, to me, probably the most remarkable part of the video, in a weird way.”
“I was so ground-down physically,” Mullen continued, “because of [my] bones. How much deterioration I’d had [and] what they replaced had aged me 20-something years. So, the stuff I did 10 years ago, I’m like, ‘Man, that stuff was easy compared to what I got now.’”
But, he said about the footage, “It’s coming out.”
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 releases on all major gaming platforms July 11.
