ITMV- Blog

Tony Hawk partners with The Sandbox to create the “largest virtual skatepark ever made.”

The man, the myth, the legend Tony Hawk, has announced his collaboration with The Sandbox. The skateboarding icon is teaming up with developer Autograph to create Tony Hawk LAND! This will be a game within The Sandbox metaverse. According to a recent press release, it will be the “largest virtual skatepark ever made” and sprawl over 36 parcels of Sandbox land. 

Tony Hawk is a legend amongst skaters and skate fans and embodied a large part of American alternative culture in the 90s and 00s. Since his peak around the turn of the millennium, Hawk kept a low profile but retained his status as a cult icon. This week, Hawk announced a collaboration with web3 builders Sandbox — they are creating a virtual skatepark. 

The Birdman and gaming already had an established relationship before his Web3 involvement, as we all remember the beloved “Tony Hawk Pro Skater” videogame series. The series attracted a massive cult following and is still adored by fans today. The Tony Hawk games are iconic, and the series has grossed almost $1.5 billion since its launch.

Fans of the pro skater were delighted to see that Tony Hawk had delved into the boom of the Metaverse. From his previous collaboration with Autograph in December 2021 to release his debut NFT collection, the pro skater has taken a step further to create a whole online space dedicated to his passion for skating. In the announcement video, Hawk stated, “I have been a fan of new technology all of my life, from the first video games and home computers with CGI capabilities.” He said, “So I am fascinated by the Metaverse and excited to bring our culture into the virtual landscape of The Sandbox.” 

But not only will there be a legendary skatepark. Autograph will create NFTs based on Tony Hawk’s skateboards, equipment, and apparel for use on the platform. 

Hawk’s skatepark comes hand in hand with a Sandbox avatar drop, similar to Snoop Dogg or The Wombats. Hawk’s avatars are designed to replicate the outfit he wore during the X Games event in 1999, where Hawk famously landed the first ever 900 — a landmark moment for skaters worldwide and an incident that wrote Hawk’s name into skating history.

In the all-new exciting Tony Hawk Land, The Sandbox states it will be a 6×6 area to allow users to create their custom skateparks, meaning users can share skateparks with everyone else on the platform. The game will also include unlockable features based on Tony Hawk’s infamous merch, “including the legendary skateboard Tony Hawk used to land the 900 at the X Games in 1999.”

Tony Hawk LAND is a fantastic-looking project — The Sandbox has created a visually stunning skatepark, embodying many traits that made ‘Pro Skater’ so famous. Not to mention Hawk, whose personality and reputation as an entrepreneur lend credit to the project. 

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