New Skateboard Controller Predicted For Next Tony Hawk Game

Industry analyst Doug Creutz has predicted that Activision will include a new “skateboard peripheral” with the next release in the Tony Hawk series.

Creutz, of Cowen and Company, said in a note to investors that the extra development time taken for the upcoming title, which does not yet have a scheduled release date, as well as the addition of a specialty controller, will help boost the game’s sales. “We believe that the extra year of development time and the opportunity for consumers to shake off franchise fatigue could contribute to better unit sales than the franchise has enjoyed in recent years,” Creutz said. “We also view it as highly likely that the game will include some sort of skateboard peripheral with all SKUs when it ships, given the massive success (and higher price points and profitability) of Activision Blizzard’s Guitar Hero franchise.”

The inevitable price increase that results from the inclusion of custom controllers doesn’t seem to be dampening the enthusiasm of consumers: The success of Guitar Hero and its competitor, EA’s Rock Band, is undeniable, although a better comparison is likely to be found in the Wii balance board, the controller for Nintendo’s hit Wii Fit. Activision hasn’t commented on any possible new peripherals being developed in support of the game, but Ars Technica reported in May that Activision Publishing President and CEO Michael Griffith said the Tony Hawk franchise was being “reinvented from the ground up.”

“This title will have two years in development to deliver the kind of breakthrough this franchise needs,” Griffith said. “For competitive reasons, we’re not going to talk about it today but we are very bullish on the kind of innovation this will bring and this won’t be your father’s Tony Hawk.”