Tony Hawk 3 and 4 may have died, but Skate 4 apparently still lives

EA’s Skate 4, or just ‘Skate,’ is rumoured to be getting a official reveal next month, and the timing of this news could not have come at a better time for fans of skateboarding games.

The exciting report, which comes courtesy of usually trustworthy leaker Tom Henderson via Try Hard Guides, comes not long after Tony Hawk — professional skateboarder and namesake of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series — confirmed that a sequel (or pair of sequels, rather) to Vicarious Visions’ excellent Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 and 2 games would not be coming.

Skate is apparently “further along in development” than expected

“That was the plan,” Mr. Hawk said on a livestream earlier in the week, which was reported by VGC, “even up until the release date of [1 and 2],” Hawk said. “We were doing 3 and 4, and then Vicarious got kind of absorbed, and then they were looking for other developers, and then it was over.”

It’s a shame, as Pro Skater 1 and 2 saw the Tony Hawk series return not only to its classic, PS1 Classic roots, but also to critical and financial success. However, the absorption of Vicarious Visions into Blizzard has all but snuffed the dream of a sequel, and thus leaves only the much-desired fourth Skate game to risk from the Hawk’s ashes.

It was beautiful while it lasted.

As reported, the new Skate has apparently undergone “extensive playtesting” over the last number of months, but apparently we’ll see our first real glimpse of gameplay after the reveal — that is, of course, if you don’t count this very early alpha footage as a glimpse.

Are you excited about the new Skate? It’s been over a decade since the Skate 3, so your thumbs are perhaps a little rusty, but do you think you still have the skills to get the platinum trophy next time around? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by Lee Brady

Staff Writer Lee loves writing about the game design of classic PS Plus Premium games and upcoming PS5 games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Final Fantasy XVI. He's a big proponent of video games as an evolving artistic medium, though he's also a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog games, so the medium might want to keep looking for a better spokesperson.