‘I’m not a dictator’: Tony Hawk says he didn’t force Bam Margera into Pro Skater 3+4 but is ‘thankful’ Activision agreed
Margera’s inclusion in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 was ‘very last minute’
Tony Hawk has disputed reports that he forced Activision to include Bam Margera in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, but concedes it was an extremely last-minute addition.
Earlier this year, VGC reported that Bam Margera would be missing from the cast of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. As the only original skater from the THPS 3 cast missing from the remake, this caused disappointment from fans, who rallied Activision and Hawk, to include the skater.
It was later claimed that Margera would be added to the remake, after Tony Hawk himself allegedly demanded his inclusion.
“Well, here’s what happened,” The Live Club co-host Roger Bagley claimed in a podcast in March. “The game was already done. Tony called up Activision and was like ‘hey, we’re putting Bam in the thing’, and they were like ‘hey, we can’t’.
“He goes ‘no, you’re gonna do it’, and basically made them fly Bam back out there to get body-scanned and everything else, and get him back in the game.”
Without addressing Bagley’s comments directly, Hawk has now implied a different version of events, suggesting that he requested Margera’s inclusion in the game rather than demanding it.
“I’m not a dictator in terms of how the game is run.” Hawk told Polygon.
“But, I did connect with [Bam] recently and he’s in a really good place and skating a lot. He just seems highly motivated and I felt like we should bring that energy back to the game. It was all very last-minute, I will say that. I’m thankful that he was agreeable and that Activision was into it. He got scanned in record time.”
Perhaps as a result of the last-minute scan, Margera’s in-game character won’t feature his voice when he falls off his board, or fails a trick.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 will be released on July 11, 2025, although the more expensive Digital Deluxe and Collector’s Editions of the game will offer three days of early access, starting on July 8.
Featuring cross-platform online multiplayer, the game will be available for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC via Battle.net, Windows and Steam. It’ll also launch on day one on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
