UPDATE: False alarm, peeps. Activision has since issued a retraction, stating that Tony Hawk: Ride will NOT be an Xbox 360 exclusive and WILL be coming to PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. Crossed wires at Activision are believed to be the cause of the confusion.
Tony Hawk: Ride is shaping up to be an exciting reboot to Mr Hawk’s tired old skating franchise. As we mentioned before it packs a brand new board peripheral that could seriously one-up the EA’s new skateboarding king, Skate. THR originally stated that Tony Hawk: Ride is due to launch on PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, but in the UK, there’s a troubling rumour that Microsoft may be negotiating an exclusivity deal to boost its 2009 line-up.
We must clarify that a) this is still conjecture at this point – neither Microsoft nor Activision have made an official statement on the subject, and b) the rumoured deal is some way short of being set in stone.
Nevertheless, it’s hardly implausible; it wouldn’t be the first time Microsoft has used its wallet to nab an exclusivity deal, especially when a fancy new peripheral is on the table. Rock Band is the prime example – Microsoft managed to tie up the game this side of the pond, even though our friends in the US were happily playing on both systems.
Sony isn’t completely innocent of such shenanigans either, as the recent Ghostbusters deal demonstrates.
For the sake of gamers though, we hope this isn’t how Tony Hawk: Ride is going to make its UK debut. The Tony Hawk series has long since been bled dry of anything that resembled creativity, but the new board peripheral has got us intrigued and could prove to be just the dose of innovation the series needs.
For the moment, keep your fingers crossed that Tony Hawk: Ride will land later this year (release date expected to be revealed at E3) on PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii as promised. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear more.
Out 2009? | £TBA | Tony Hawk: Ride (via MCV)
