During a recent panel at iicon, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk shared the wild story of how Tony Hawk once modded his friend’s PS1 to get early THPS feedback. While discussing the lasting legacy of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (THPS) series, the "Birdman" revealed just how far he went to ensure the game resonated with the skating community.
The Secret Development of THPS
Back in 1998, Hawk was working alongside Neversoft on early versions of what would become a legendary title. At the time, the project was actually a modified version of a failed Bruce Willis-branded game called Apocalypse.
The development process involved a steady stream of updates sent directly to him via mail. "Every week they would burn a CD for me, and I played it on my modified PlayStation 1," Hawk explained. He noted that he would provide feedback, and the following week, a new disc with all the updates would arrive.
How Tony Hawk Once Modded His Friend's PS1 for Testing
To expand his testing pool, Hawk admitted to taking some unauthorized risks. To ensure the game felt authentic to skaters, Tony Hawk once modded his friend’s PS1—specifically that of photographer and skater Atiba Jefferson—to allow for playing these burned development discs.
Hawk shared several details about this "rogue" period:
- He made unauthorized copies of the burned development discs.
- He sent these copies to hardcore skater-gamers he knew.
- He utilized modified hardware, like Atiba's console, to facilitate gameplay testing.
"I was really excited about it, but I was also kind of isolated in my excitement because I was the only real skater working on it," Hawk said. "I hope I don’t get in trouble for this, 20 plus years later—but I started making copies of the burns and sending them to skaters that I knew were hardcore gamers."
The Legend of "The Game"
The underground distribution worked. Soon, rumors began circulating within the skate community, with players asking, “have you guys played ‘the game?'”
For Hawk, this was the ultimate sign of success. "That's when I knew we did something right, and that the skateboarders were going to enjoy this," he remarked. He admitted he had no idea the project would eventually transcend the skateboarding world, noting that being referred to simply as "the game" gave him a sense of pride.
Future Remasters and Industry News
Looking toward the future, Hawk has a specific request for the franchise. During the panel, he mentioned that if another remaster is ever produced, Tony Hawk’s Underground should be the priority.
"What’s next, that’s always the conversation," Hawk stated. "Because we are now making our way through the series as remasters and remakes, and to be honest, the most noise that I hear about remastering the game, is for Underground, and has been for the last few years. I don’t know who I’m pitching this to, but that’s the one, if we get to do it."
While fans wait for news, the industry faces significant challenges. The development team behind the recent THPS 3+4 remaster, Iron Galaxy, recently faced another round of layoffs, following significant cuts in 2025. Additionally, the iicon panel touched on Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick’s comments regarding the much-debated price point of GTA 6.
