To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Not now
OK
Advert
Advert
Advert

Tony Hawk Shares Hefty Amount He Was Paid For Tony Hawk Games

Cameron Frew

Published 
| Last updated 

Tony Hawk Shares Hefty Amount He Was Paid For Tony Hawk Games

Featured Image Credit: Alamy/The Nine Club/YouTube

Tony Hawk's skating games were generation-defining. Fortunately for him, they also made a lot of money.

In 1999, shortly after landing that 900 spin, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater hit consoles. It was an instant success, catapulting skating to the forefront of popular culture and birthing a franchise that's spawned 20 games.

There's been several spin-offs, from Underground to Project 8, but they've rarely bettered the initial entries in the series (hence the first two were remastered for next-gen consoles).

Advert
The first Pro Skater games were remastered in 2020. Credit: Activision
The first Pro Skater games were remastered in 2020. Credit: Activision

In an interview with The Nine Club in 2018, Hawk discussed the success of the games and how they completely changed his life, both financially and how much they increased the public's awareness of him.

He said: "When the fourth game was released, my main contact at Activision asked to have lunch with me in LA. He's not the head, but he was definitely the guy overseeing our games."

The executive explained to Hawk that the first three games were still in the top 10 chart for sales. For context, Pro Skater 4 came out three years after the first game, and its predecessors were still outperforming other titles.

Advert

Before handing him a cheque, he tried to prepare Hawk by saying things were 'way bigger' than he'd ever thought.

Hawk was then handed a cheque for $4 million (£3.07m). "It was my annual royalty or whatever it was," he explained, but at the time he was baffled by holding such a large sum of money.

"I don't want to downplay that... the video game changed my life," he added.

Advert

The Tony Hawk's gaming series has made an estimated $1.4 billion since its launch, so it's unclear exactly how much he's made since then, but it's fair to assume it'll be quite a lot.

Tony Hawk said the money from the first games changed his life. Credit: Alamy
Tony Hawk said the money from the first games changed his life. Credit: Alamy

Not every game has been a success: Pro Skater 5 was ripped apart by critics and fans; and the Ride and Shred peripheral failed to connect with players. However, the franchise's cultural legacy is unimpeachable.

In an earlier interview with VG247, Hawk said: "I was proud, in general, of how it raised skating’s profile.

Advert

"A shocking moment, one that gave me most validation, was when we released the fourth game, the first three titles were still in the top ten for sales. That seemed unreal. Beyond any fantasy.

"Just the idea that we got to do one sequel, and we did four, and the first three were still top selling.

"I'm proud of what we created and the legacy of those games – I never imagined it would become what I'm known for, more than my actual skating.

"It's been crazy, it still resonates. Some of the things I get to do, in a lot of ways, are connected to that awareness that came from the video games.”

Advert

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]

Topics: Celebrity, Tony Hawk, Gaming

Cameron Frew
More like this
Advert
Advert
Advert

Chosen for YouChosen for You

Music

Snoop Dogg reacts to music artist ‘ruining’ his song

6 hours ago

Most Read StoriesMost Read

Makeup artist responds to ‘offensive’ criticism over Ursula's look in The Little Mermaid live-action remake

7 hours ago