Tony Hawk, the skateboarding great, considers the sport a form of art and a lifestyle. His story of rising from a professional skateboarder to developing a billion-dollar video gaming franchise is a dream for many. Tony collaborated with Activision to produce the video game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater in 1999.
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The idea of video games brought him huge success and his life has never been the same since then. Fair to say, luck has been in favor of Tony. In an interview with Andrew Schulz, the skateboarder cum entrepreneur shared how grateful he was about the decision he had made two decades ago.
Lucky Tony Hawk saved millions
In an episode on the Flagrant 2 podcast hosted by Andrew Schulz, Tony describes a time he was fortunate to avoid losing millions. The Pro Skater series was first launched in 1999. It sold over 1.9 billion copies across the world.
Interestingly, Activision offered a buyout. “As the game neared release, they could sense the buzz of it. They called and offered me a buyout,” Hawk said. He continued that they had offered him half a million dollars. Although it was a luring deal, he couldn’t accept the deal.
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“I had just moved into a new house and I was starting to make good money as a pro skater, so I decided to take a chance on it.” As luck would have it, he bought a house around the same time.
He said, “If I hadn’t bought that house right then, I probably would have taken it.” The Pro Skater series has spawned 18 titles ever since it was launched. Had Hawk taken the offer, he would have lost millions in royalties from every sequel to the popular game.
Hawk is multi-talented
Tony started skateboarding at the age of 9. He nurtured his skills to a professional level at 14. Soon after, at the age of 16, he was recognized as the best competitive skateboarder on earth.
He ruled the sport for 12 years in a row as a World Champion. His video-gaming venture in 1999 began a crucial chapter in his life as an entrepreneur. He also has a clothing line under the brand, Hawk Clothing.
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Also, there are Birdhouse Skateboards and Tony Hawk Signature Series sporting goods and toys. He is an inspiration and a role model to fans across the globe.
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The legendary skateboarder has a charismatic personality and draws huge crowds with his speeches. His has millions of fans following him on social media.