Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick stated that Activision supplied world-famous skateboarder Tony Hawk $300k to lend his identify and likeness to the primary Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater game–an supply that got here at a low level for him financially.
In an interview with the Grit podcast, Kotick claimed that Hawk was dwelling in his automotive on the time, going by means of his second divorce. Kotick stated that Hawk was determined for cash, in order that they signed him up with a further 1.5% royalty fee that they renegotiated additional as time went on.
“We made Professional Skater, did nicely, however Professional Skater 2, that was an superior recreation. And that was the explosion of the enterprise in some methods,” Kotick defined.
In 2019, Hawk stated that Activision supplied him a $500k buyout for any future royalties, however he turned that down. Hawk’s determination paid off, as he revealed that he received four million in royalty checks after Tony Hawk Professional Skater 4 was launched.
Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater was launched in 1999 for the unique PlayStation. It was then later remade for contemporary platforms in 2020 as Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 1 + 2. The final mainline entry within the sequence was 2015’s Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 5, marking the tip of Hawk’s contract with Activision.
Whereas remakes of Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 3 and 4 are reportedly not within the works, Hawk confirmed that the sequence will proceed on.