As soon as upon a time, developer Vicarious Visions was engaged on a follow-up to 2020’s glorious remake assortment, Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 1+2. The challenge would’ve consisted of remakes of Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 3 and 4, which might’ve been dope. Sadly, in response to a brand new investigation by YouTuber Liam Robertson of DidYouKnowGaming, the challenge was reportedly rejected by Activision in order that the staff, which was rebranded to Blizzard Albany in 2021, might deal with Name of Obligation.
Robertson uploaded an hour-long video on Could 4 to his DidYouKnowGaming channel. The video dives deep right into a long-lost Donkey Kong 3D platformer that Vicarious Visions was allegedly (surprisingly!) engaged on, however evolves right into a layered exposé of initiatives on the Activision-owned studio that have been both canceled, rejected, or shelved. A kind of initiatives was a full remake assortment comprised of Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 1, 2, 3, and 4, which might have introduced all 4 skate video games collectively in a single beautiful assortment. As , solely two of these video games have been remade and launched as Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 1+2, which got here out in 2020 to business and significant success. Robertson’s sources linked to the challenge, who spoke anonymously, mentioned the scope was in the end scaled down.
“Throughout early discussions on the challenge, the staff initially wished their remake assortment to comprise not simply Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 1 and 2, however 3 and 4 as properly,” Vicarious Visions sources informed Robertson. “Finally, this was deemed too bold and the proposal was scaled again to the unique two titles. One former developer defined [Activision’s] resolution thusly: ‘We settled on including some dealing with options from the later video games to mirror the best way folks bear in mind the previous THPS video games. Among the enhancements from [THPS] 3 appeared to bleed into folks’s recollections of the primary 2. Ultimately, it turned clear that we didn’t have time for greater than 1+2, so the concept we’d proceed on and launch 3+4 in some trend was on the desk.’”
Robertson mentioned that one a part of the explanation why Activision swatted away Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 3+4 was as a result of it wished Vicarious Visions to offer supplemental work on Name of Obligation, one thing the studio had performed with 2016’s Infinite Warfare. One other a part of the explanation was the eventual 2021 merger which noticed Activision gobble up Vicarious Visions, change its title to Blizzard Albany, and immediate the staff to maneuver from the Diablo II remake to different Activision initiatives, specifically extra Name of Obligation and, finally, Diablo IV.
“[Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2] would go on to launch in September 2020 to common vital acclaim and was an enormous business hit,” Robertson mentioned. “It turned the fastest-selling recreation within the franchise and was cited as a serious income for Activision of their 2020 investor’s briefing. Round launch, there was a short flicker of hope that Vicarious Visions would get to satisfy their ambition of revamping Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 3 and 4. A pitch for such a challenge was introduced to Activision’s head shortly after the primary two have been completed they usually declined to greenlight it, once more telling the studio that they wished them to deal with supplementing their bigger franchises.”
This all appears to line up with what the Birdman himself has mentioned concerning the challenge. In June 2022, Tony Hawk defined that the plan was at all times to launch THPS 3+4, however all the things got here to a screeching halt when Activision absorbed Vicarious Visions.
“I imply that was the plan, , even up till the discharge date of [THPS1+2] we have been going 3+4,” Hawk mentioned throughout a Neversoft Twitch stream. “Then Vicarious obtained sort of absorbed, they usually have been searching for different builders, after which it was over.”
Kotaku reached out to Activision for remark.
This sucks rather a lot, as a result of Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 1+2 have been distinctive video games that recaptured the vibe of the primary two entries—that are over twenty years previous now—whereas modernizing them in ways in which make them extra approachable for newer audiences. It got here after the disastrous launch that was 2015’s Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 5, and following up that abysmal recreation was no simple feat, so I believed this remastered assortment would’ve revitalized the franchise as a complete. However at this level, we will solely hope that Activision tries to breathe new life into it once more sooner or later sooner or later.