Tony Hawk modded his friend's PS1 for early THPS feedback

Tony Hawk has revealed that back in the day, he modded a friend's PlayStation 1 to get feedback on early versions of the iconic game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. This happened in 1998, while Hawk was working with developer Neversoft on the game's early builds. During a panel at iicon, a conference for game industry professionals, he talked about the process and the game's impact on skate culture.

Early development of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

In the early days of development, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was based on a modified version of the failed game Apocalypse, which was originally tied to Bruce Willis. Hawk received weekly burned CDs from the developers with new builds of the game, which he played on his modified PlayStation 1. "I always came back with comments, and then the next week I'd get another disc in the mail with the updates," he said.

Feedback from fellow skaters

Hawk felt somewhat isolated in his enthusiasm, since he was the only real skateboarder involved in the project. Out of curiosity and a desire to gather feedback from other hardcore skaters, he started making copies of the burned discs and sending them to friends in the skate community. That led to the game spreading among skaters, showing that they had clearly done something right.

Impact on the skate community

The excitement around the game grew, and Hawk heard rumors within the hardcore skate community. When skaters started referring to the game simply as "the game," Hawk felt a sense of pride. To him, it was a sign they had created something special, even without realizing the game would go on to reach far beyond the skateboarding world.

Hawk also emphasized that if there were ever another remaster, he'd love to see Tony Hawk's Underground get the treatment. The game has long been requested by fans for a remaster and is considered one of the series' most popular entries. Conversations about the future of the THPS series continue as developers grapple with the industry's challenges.

More than 20 years after the original game's launch, the influence of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater is still felt in both gaming and skate culture. The game's history has not only helped boost skateboarding's popularity, but also shaped sports games as a whole.