Still Shredding – The Legacy Of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

Skateboarding and gaming have an intertwined history dating back to the ’80s, with titles like Skate or Die, Skate and Destroy, and 720° letting players live out their kickflip fantasies. But it wasn’t until 1999 that the most prominent skateboarder teamed up with Neversoft to produce some of the most critically acclaimed video games of all time. Together, they permanently changed both the genre and the sport.

Riding a late 1990s wave of popularity for extreme sports, a small team at developer Neversoft had been developing a free-flowing skateboarding title. Late in development, the studio signed popular skateboarder Tony Hawk to lend his name and likeness to the product. Hawk took the responsibility seriously, working closely with the development team to ensure the title accurately reflected the excitement of skateboarding.