Tony Hawk Brand Returns To Its Roots With Next Entry

Following the release of the peripheral-based Tony Hawk: Ride and Tony Hawk: Shred (pictured), the Chicago-based Robomodo has revealed plans to develop a new downloadable title that reflects the series' traditional roots. This new game, dubbed Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD, abandons the plastic skateboard controllers used with the studio's previous games in favor of standard gamepads -- a perhaps fitting move, considering Ride and Shred both faced mixed reviews and slow sales. "We're going back to the core of what made the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games so popular, while leveraging today's console power and online capabilities," said series figurehead Tony Hawk. "We've updated many elements to reflect today's skateboarding scene as well." Alongside the move back to traditional controls, Robomodo said that in addition to Tony Hawk himself, the new game will feature a host of modern skateboarding icons, including Nyjah Huston, Chris Cole, Eric Koston, Andrew Reynolds, and more. In 2010, Robomodo reported noted studio growth thanks to the retail sales of Tony Hawk: Ride. After the debut of Tony Hawk: Shred later that year, however, the studio was forced to lay off a significant portion of its staff.