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Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD VGA 2011 teaser takes us back
Remember the first time you played Tony Hawk Pro Skater? Then the above trailer for its HD remake from the 2011 VGAs should seem familiar. We can't wait to score a million-point run for the first time all over again.
'Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD' to blend parts of first two Hawk titles in early 2012 on 'digital platforms'
We cornered skateboarding figurehead Tony Hawk on the red carpet at this year's Spike Video Game Awards to get the skinny on that big announcement he has planned for the show -- as it turns out, the announcement is ... a Tony Hawk game! "Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD" will apparently take "select" levels from the first two Tony Hawk titles, HD-ify them, and wrap it all up in a neat digital package for "digital platforms" sometime in the first half of 2012.Hawk told our man on the ground, Mike Schramm, that classic levels "School" and "Downhill" would make appearances, but didn't let on any more. The game will assuredly get a blowout tonight as the VGAs commence, so stay tuned! Or, uh, go watch old trailers of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 and 2. Either/or.Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD will be the first entry in the series after an ambiguously worded shuttering of the franchise by publisher Activision late last year. Clearly the series isn't quite dead yet!Update: Tony says the game will apparently arrive sometime during the summer, and will be priced "under $20." Also, we saw a brief bit of gameplay, and it looks pretty!
Tony Hawk hints at VGA reveal of another game (probably with his name on it)
The Tony Hawk video game franchise hasn't wiped out completely -- it's just had a few years of practice sans padding or helmet. "I'll be announcing the upcoming release of something new on Sat; the same day as the Spike Video Game Awards," Pro skateboarder Tony Hawk wrote on Twitter. "Coincidence? I think not." The Tony Hawk franchise is currently hurting after two years of software that desperately tried to legitimize a skateboard peripheral. The last iteration, Shred, sold a mere 3,000 units in its first week. For comparison's sake, DJ Hero 2 sold 59,000 copies in its first two weeks of availability and Activision took that franchise out ... to a nice farm, where it can play around and roam free. [Thanks, Ron.]
Google gets ready to play traditional TV, preps original YouTube channels
From rumors to reality: YouTube is taking a crack at original programing. Sources close to the Wall Street Journal say that the streaming outfit is partnering with a broad mix of media firms, production companies, and savvy content creators to launch 100 channels, generating over 25 hours of original content each day. Most of these channels aren't slated to launch until next year, but when they do they are said to be backed by names like Ashton Kutcher, Tony Hawk, Jay-Z, and Madonna. YouTube is reportedly paying content partners over $100 million to jump-start this project, and hopes to create quality that can be sold to Advertisers. YouTube's blog confirmed that the first of these premium channels is set to launch next month, with subsequent channels coming in waves over the next year. Hit the source link below so see YouTube's official announcement and an early list of channels and content providers. We know you'll join us in giddy anticipation of Shaquille O'Neal's Comedy Shaq Network .
Activision head Bobby Kotick positive but unsure on Vita; sees Wii U as 'really necessary' for Nintendo
When Bobby Kotick's not busy making appearances in major motion pictures alongside Brad Pitt, he heads up Call of Duty publisher Activision. And as head of one of the largest (if not the largest) third-party game publisher, what he says about the future of various consoles can have some major implications. It seems that, like Activision has done in the past with new platforms, Kotick's stance on both Nintendo's Wii U and Sony's PlayStation Vita is "very interested" with a heavy side of apprehension. In an interview with The Guardian, Kotick spoke to his feelings on the PS Vita. "Technically, we're super excited about what we can do on it, it's really something incredible. The question is, where is the market?" While he's excited by the capability of the PS Vita, and his company has already pledged support, Kotick acknowledged the burgeoning smart phone market for games as well. "It's a really nice product and its very well differentiated from what you can get in even the most capable smartphone or tablet today," he professed. As for Nintendo's Wii successor, the Wii U, Kotick said that Activision has had dev kits "for awhile now" and that, while Nintendo has yet to fully clarify its online system even to him, the console apparently makes "rich multiplayer games" a possibility -- a first for Nintendo, if true. As far as timing goes, Kotick stated that Nintendo's hardware reveal was a necessity. "For the kinds of games we create, it was becoming very difficult for us to support the Wii with the expectations that our gamers have ... from a development perspective, having a Nintendo device that is on parity with the other hardware from a graphics perspective was really necessary." As you might expect, Activision is apparently "very enthusiastic about it," though he wouldn't detail any specific titles in development at the publisher. When pressed on new intellectual properties, Kotick deferred to Bungie's unannounced project, as well as "the new MMO from Blizzard" (the rarely spoken of "Titan" project). And as expected, he spoke ambiguously regarding this year's Guitar Hero franchise gutting. "Until we can deliver a really high level of innovation and tap into the high level of creativity and inspiration of the people we have making games, we won't put the products out," he admitted. "That goes for everything -- we've always subscribed to that philosophy." We're not sure that the last few Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk titles would back up Mr. Kotick's claim, but then we're not the corporate figurehead of an enormous public company.
Tony Hawk: New game coming next year
We fear that there may be no end in sight for Tony Hawk's long-troubled skateboarding series. Though Activision CEOs announced that 2011 would be the first year without a Tony Hawk game since the dawn of time, Hawk himself told PixelatedGeek in an impromptu interview that "We're actually right in the middle of making a whole new plan right now," when asked whether more Hawk-branded games were in the pipeline. "We're going to do something probably for next year, but I can't give too much away," Hawk continued. "But definitely we're going to make new games, yes." And just like that -- once again -- Tony Hawk has outed an unannounced game with his own name attached to it. Thanks for the help, Tony!
Activision: 'No new music or skateboarding games' this year
The grim fates of True Crime and whatever installment of the Guitar Hero series that was in development are known -- but what about Activision's other perennial franchises? A few (equally grim) details surfaced during Activision's investor's call today, during which COO Thomas Tippl explained, "We will release no new music or skateboarding games" during the current calendar year. Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg added some more insight into the company's shift away from the music genre, explaining that even though DJ Hero 2 and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock were well-received, "demand for peripheral-based music games declined at a dramatic pace." He continued, "Given the considerable licensing and manufacturing costs associated with this genre, we simply cannot make these games profitably based on current economics and demand." However, Activision will continue to support its existing music games with DLC. We're still left with a lot of questions, though (and we're working on the answers). For instance, what does this mean for the 3DS-bound DJ Hero 3D? What about the Tony Hawk series at large? Activision's frequently spoken about its staying power -- and if no Hawk title drops in 2011, it would be the first calendar year in the franchise's history without a new entry since 1999.
Al Roker: Shred
During a visit to the Today Show, Tony Hawk advised risk-taking dream-seekers to "stay true to what you love doing, because you'll make it -- and it'll be great." Behind him, wobbling atop the Shred board, Al Roker realized that he had in fact veered dangerously off course from his chosen path.
Tony Hawk Shreds October 26, Toys R Us to sell exclusive board
Activision's second attempt at peripheral-based skateboarding will be available in stores on October 26th. Tony Hawk Shred promises "Big Air! Bigger Tricks!' in a more kid-friendly approach to the franchise. Keeping in line with the game's younger vibe, it's fitting that Activision has partnered up with Toys R Us on an exclusive version of the board-and-game bundle. For $99, you'll get a copy of the game and a board featuring one of "Tony's custom Birdhouse graphics." Of course, if you still have your Tony Hawk Ride board, you can opt to reuse that for the sequel.
Tony Hawk Ride mod actually rides (video)
Face it, you're not still using your plastic Tony Hawk Ride motion sensing game peripheral are you? So why not recoup some of your pride (and $120) by installing your own trucks and wheels and get to pushing some real pavement in the great out of doors? Or skip all that and let someone else explain to the cops that it's not real, "it's only a video game." See what we mean in the video embed after the break.
Rumor: Tony Hawk: Shred will include snowboarding
Tony Hawk: Shred is an actual thing that's coming, this much Activision itself confirmed. And we have it on good authority from our Joystiq Superspy™ that the latest game to bear the Tony Hawk name will not only let gamers shred pavement, but also some fresh powder: the game will incorporate snowboarding -- a first for the traditionally skateboarding-only series. It's been a tough time for the Tony Hawk series lately. Tony Hawk: Ride, which introduced a plastic peripheral, didn't do so well. And with competition from EA's Skate series, as well as newcomer Shaun White Skateboarding emerging on the scene, it's not going to be easy for Shred to stand out from the competition. We're expecting to hear more on Shred at E3 next week. We'll let you know what we find out.
Tony Hawk: Shred confirmed by Activision
Thanks to a since-deleted Tweet from the skateboarding mogul himself, the name Tony Hawk: Shred has been making the rounds as the rumored title for the next game in the venerable skating series. Now, Activision's made it official, telling us, "We can confirm we've given a name to the next Tony Hawk game – Tony Hawk: SHRED, and more details will be revealed in the coming months." What we don't know is if TH:S is the peripheral-based follow-up to last year's Tony Hawk: Ride that Activision threatened promised in February. It seems like a natural evolution, right? "Hey Steve, you seem to be riding that skateboard pretty well, but aren't you ready to do more than ride? Would you, perhaps, be prepared to shred?" (Also, as our own Ludwig Kietzmann points out, Tony Hawk: Shrek would probably make a lot more money.)
Activision puts Geometry Wars: Touch, Tony Hawk 2 on the App Store
iPad titles have started appearing on the App Store, and two big video gaming names are there with them. First up, Activision has apparently dropped a copy of the arcade shooter Geometry Wars out there in the form of Geometry Wars: Touch for iPad. Given that we haven't actually played the game yet, we're not sure how they work out the two-stick controls (generally in these games, you move with one stick and shoot with the other), but they are advertising a new game mode, called Titans. Looks fun -- it's a full US$10 app, which might be pricey without trying it, but the Geometry Wars series tends to offer up some fun and addictive arcade experiences. And as predicted, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is now out on the App Store. It is not an iPad title -- it's only for the iPhone and the iPod touch, but of course it should still run on the iPad in an upscaled mode. This is probably my favorite Tony Hawk game of all time, and while the touchscreen controls may be a little squishier than the old PlayStation buttons, the reviews are great so far. There you go: Two nice, big titles from Activision to kick off the iPad's launch.
Activision quietly restructures senior management
An article from the LA Times reports that Activision Blizzard Inc. has quietly made some internal changes to senior management and internal organization within Activision: one focused on the military game Call of Duty, another handling internally owned properties like Guitar Hero and the Tony Hawk series, and a third handling licensed properties. Why these changes weren't relayed to investors or the press is still unknown, but it's likely due to the fact that they could be interpreted as a sign of weakness. Activision has seen flagging sales for two of its former cash-cow franchises, Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero, and a recent very public scuffle with Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vince Zampanella following their ejection from their positions as heads of Activision's Infinity Ward studio painted the studio in a negative light with gamers. This kind of restructuring could point to turmoil within the company, an image that an industry juggernaut like Activision would want to avoid. So, what do these changes mean for Blizzard, and for World of Warcraft? Activision got a hold of us to say "nothing at all" -- the restructuring was for Activision's side of the business only. It's important to remember that Activision-Blizzard is an umbrella company that contains two separate divisions: Activision Publishing and Blizzard Entertainment. Activision restructured into three different units, but Blizzard remains independent.
Video: Skate 3 ramps up user-created content
If we told you that the user creation tools in Skate 3 were robust, we'd be selling the game short. From the highly customizable skate parks (that can be shared online) to the revamped graphics creator, there's no doubt that the devs at Black Box have upped the ante on user creation in a significant way. While there's always the worry that the Skate franchise could start packing in a bit too much (the Tony Hawk-ization of Skate, if you will), it looks like the folks in charge of improving the annual franchise know to keep the game focused on skateboarding culture and real physics. We'll be checking out the game this weekend at PAX East, so look for a more thorough opinion soon (and feel free to tell us in the comments below what you want to know about the game). %Gallery-77563%
Tony Hawk coming to iPhone soon
A leak on Tony Hawk's official Twitter account has revealed this picture, which appears to be Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game being played right there on the iPhone. The tweet that linked to this picture seems to be gone, but it promised that "This is real & dropping soon." If we believe this message, it looks like we may be seeing the seminial skating series on the iPhone in the near future. My Tony Hawk knowledge is far from complete, but that level certainly does look like the hangar level from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, which was my personal favorite way back on the Playstation 1 (I also played it quite a bit on the PC back in the day). Of course, just because the aforementioned level is in there, that doesn't mean that it's the full Pro Skater 2 (the iPhone version could be a mixup of levels from the previous skating games). However, given the font, and the d-pad and button layout, it does seem that we'll be seeing some old school TH action (as opposed to the recent Tony Hawk Ride debacle). We'll keep an eye on the store and let you know if and when we see something.
Tony Hawk says iPhone game is 'dropping soon'
It would appear that finger skating is about to go "pro" with a Tony Hawk game for iPhone. The pro skater recently tweeted, "In the PR world, this is considered 'going rogue,' but I'm too excited. This is real & dropping soon." The attached picture, as you can see above, appears to be an iPhone version of his venerable skating series. The message has since been deleted, but as we saw it on the feed of an Activision employee, we feel pretty confident it's on the level. Man, Tony just couldn't be more of a rebel, could he? Not only is he a skateboarder, putting curb wax on church steps and listening to rock 'n' roll too loud ... on his boom box, now he's using his Twitter feed to take on the corporate fat cats! Is there such a thing as too extreme?
Ride dev Robomodo sucked into parallel dimension, increases staff
Tragic news today as we report that, due to the detonation of a hydrogen bomb on a weird island in 1977, Tony Hawk Ride developer Robomodo has shifted sideways into a reality running parallel to our own. We may not have all the details, but we've got all the evidence we need here in this Gamasutra article. As you know, here in our reality, Tony Hawk Ride was a poorly-received, overpriced game and peripheral that moved only 114,000 units during its first month at retail. In this parallel world though, the studio calls the game "high-selling" and is looking to actually increase its staff by as much as 17 percent in the near future for upcoming projects "across all platforms." The developer added that, at least in its dimension, its debut game is "very compelling." You know, maybe it's not so tragic, after all. As near as we can tell, Robomodo and Ride may be better off in this other reality. Perhaps it's best if we just let them be.
Luxoflux shuttered as layoffs hit Activision dev studios, publisher confirms
Reports began circulating this morning about major layoffs at a handful of Activision-owned development studios, affecting as much as half of Radical Entertainment's staff (Prototype), an undisclosed amount of Neversoft employees (Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk), and the entirety of Luxoflux (Tranformers). An Activision rep confirmed two former studio layoffs to us this afternoon, though a representative didn't city any official numbers -- the rep also told us he could "confirm the closure of Luxoflux." The full, significantly more vague, company statement given out to everyone reads: "Activision Publishing continually evaluates its resources to ensure that they are properly matched against its product slate and strategic goals. In 2010, the company's SKU count will be smaller than in 2009 driven in part, by a decrease in the number of music-based games we will be releasing. As we discussed on our earnings conference call yesterday, we are directing our resources against the largest and most profitable business segments, and as part of this initiative, we are realigning our resources to better reflect our slate and the market opportunities. At the same time, we are increasing our digital/online capabilities as we expect that digital/online will continue to become a more meaningful part of our business model in the years ahead."
If at first you don't succeed, Ride, Ride again
You think the first time Tony Hawk, the man himself, stepped onto a skateboard it was a sick run? Heck no -- it was pathetic. But you know what? He got back on. And the rest is history. Activision today fessed up to that new installment in the Tony Hawk game franchise, confirmed for a 2010 release and paired with the skateboard peripheral introduced with Ride last fall -- and boy was that a big fall. Shaking off signs that Ride and its board are about as beloved as worn-out Levis and antique Tupperware, Activision has committed to another run on the Tony Hawk board. "Game ratings for Tony Hawk: Ride weren't as high as we would have hoped last year, and in hindsight it took longer to optimize the hardware, leaving less time to develop the software we launched in 2009," said Mike Griffith, President and CEO of Activision Publishing, during a financial report and outlook call today. "Still, play-testing and consumer feedback have been very encouraging." "This year, with the hardware complete, we'll be focusing on improving the software in order to unlock the full potential of the board," Griffith added. "We continue to believe that this innovative peripheral redefines the skateboarding experience and could potentially have different applications in the future."
