Tony Hawk Confirms He Has Parted Ways With Activision

Not that it wasn't already fairly obvious as a consequence of the last few years of Tony Hawk games, but Activision and the professional skater no longer have anything to do with each other on a personal level, Hawk confirmed on Twitter.

Hawk made the comment after numerous messages to him from fans asking for remasters of Tony Hawk to complaining at him about the quality of the games. The professional skater, and professional brand name, replied that he's no longer in a position to do anything about the games anymore.

"To anyone asking me to 'remaster" old games, or complaining about THPS servers being down: Activision owns the THPS license but I am no longer working with them," Hawk wrote on Twitter. "If I had the skills / authority to reboot servers or code games for newer systems on my own, I would be happy to..."

Activision's tumultuous relationship with the Tony Hawk license has not been a secret over the years, but it was unknown to what if any extent Hawk himself had been involved. After Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD and Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5, the series has been critically panned, and fans have been placing blame on all parties, including Hawk himself.

Tony Hawk is not the only real person who does not own their name in game titles – the late Tom Clancy's name is included on a number of Ubisoft games despite no involvement in the games or any kind of source material.

 

Our Take
It's not at all surprising, but it does feel like Hawk feels a bit melancholy about not owning the Pro Skater series in any form. Licenses are complicated things, as everyone who engages in them eventually finds out.