Tony Hawk Reveals How He Took a Big Risk Declining Huge Check to Build His 140 Million Dollar Net Worth

The legacy of Tony Hawk is not confined to skateboarding but goes beyond it as well. His video game, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series, is one of the best-selling games in the world. It is an iconic creation with different characters and other challenges. Launched in 1999, the game attracted and amazed the masses. So much so that soon the franchise started releasing it every year.

In a recent interview, though, Hawk revealed how he could have made a blunder once and lost millions from his own game.

Tony Hawk talks about the million-dollar deal

When he was killing it on the circuit by showing off his tricks, Hawk’s game was launched and it soon gained massive interest. This game pushed skating, which was initially perceived as a counterculture to the mainstream. With the wide popularity it received, the video game made it a franchise and sold millions of copies. But, Hawk revealed the time when he could have made a decision that would have affected that exponential growth.

“As the game was getting released, they could sense the buzz of it. And I was proud of it. But, I never imagined it was going to be big, and they called me right before the release and they said, we want to offer you a buyout of future royalties. We want to buy you out for half a million dollars. At that time in my life, someone saying a half-million dollars sounded like a gazillion billion,” said Hawk.

Hence, he kicked back and decided to see what the future holds for his video game. The skateboarder bought a new house and with the royalties he was receiving, Hawk wanted it to continue, instead of taking a buyout.

“I had just moved into a new house, I was getting pretty good royalties and started to make good money being a pro skater. I told them, ‘I think I am going to take a chance on it.’ If I hadn’t bought that house back then, I probably would have taken it,” said Hawk.

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A calculated decision

The series went on to sell around 1.4 billion copies all over the world. While the pandemic restricted people to their homes, many took up or further pursued their interest in gaming. Hence, Activision Blizzard had its stocks rise to above 35%.

19 Aug 2001: Tony Hawk in action during the men’s skateboard vert doubles at the 2001 X-Games at First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hawk and his partner Andy McDonald won the competition . DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit : Ezra Shaw/Allsport

Indeed, Hawk’s decision was a brilliant one. Apart from the prize money and sponsorships, all the royalties have fetched him a net worth of $140 million. The vision he had was perfect as Tony Hawk’s game continues to rise to another level.

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