From the first Tony Hawk skateboarding game in 1999 all the way to 2007 with Proving Ground, Tony Hawk dominated the skateboarding game market.  After the release of “Proving Ground” sales began to drop rapidly and eventual led to Activision not releasing a new installment to the series last year.  The series is looking to make a triumphant return with “Pro Skater HD” which was released by Robomodo and Activision.”  Unlike previous games, this game is completely downloadable on Playstation Network, Xbox Live, and Steam if you are playing on the PC.

Robomodo was the main developer for the previous Tony Hawk “Ride” and “Shred” titles but both of those games were the downfall of the series and received lots of criticism.  Pro Skater HD was a much smaller venture and Activision reluctantly agreed to pick it up and release it.  Right now the game is only on Xbox Live Arcade but in its first week sold 120,000 copies so it is on the right track.  Robomodo’s CEO Josh Tsui spoke with Gamasutra  and talked about how this game is the first step in  reviving the series.

Tsui also said in the interview that they are looking to bring Pro Skater HD to both Playstation Network and Steam later this year to capitalize on its surprising success.  When it comes to reviving a game series there is never an easy way to do it because many players have lost interest which is what happened with “Ride” and “Shred.”  Pro Skater HD might be able to do the impossible though with its low price and return to the basics.  Ride and Shred relied on using peripheral devices like a fake skateboard for controls which was a cool idea, but everything else was greatly lacking.

Right now Pro Skater HD has received many great reviews, and got an 8.0/10 from IGN which is not always easy.  The true test to bringing the series back to its glory will be the next title, because if Activision fails on the next Tony Hawk game, they might never bring it back.