Tony Hawk Partners With The Sandbox To Create ‘The World’s Biggest’ NFT Skate Park

Everybody seems to be joining the NFT gold rush, even famed professional skater Tony Hawk. He’s struck a deal with PIXOWL to create “the biggest skate park in the metaverse” within its voxel sandbox game, The Sandbox, with NFTs to be created by Autograph.

“Autograph will create Tony Hawk avatar NFTs based on Tony Hawk and his most iconic skateboards, equipment, and apparel including the legendary skateboard Tony Hawk used to land the 900 at the X Games in 1999,” reads the official press release. “The Sandbox will make these NFTs interoperable in its open metaverse, turning Autograph’s high-fidelity avatars into 3D voxel versions that have in-game functionality for experiences, adding utility and value for their owners.”

If you’re expecting a Tony Hawk Pro Skater experience, then you’ll sadly be disappointed. The skate park and characters, as well as the boards and equipment, will be blocky and the physics will probably be awkward as can be expected of a Minecraft-like game.

The Sandbox initially launched in 2012 as a 2D open-world mobile sandbox game before being revamped to a 3D voxel game in 2018 following its acquisition by blockchain company Animoca Brands. Since then, the game has evolved into a “part virtual real estate, part amusement park” where various companies and personalities have set up shop to monetize voxel assets and virtual experiences through Animoca’s blockchain platform. These include Ubisoft, The Walking Dead, Adidas, Snoop Dogg, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Playboy, and now Tony Hawk.

“I have been a fan of new technology all of my life – from the first videogames and home computers with CGI capabilities – so I am fascinated by the metaverse, and excited to bring our culture into the virtual landscape of The Sandbox,” said the pro skater.

“Tony Hawk embodies the perseverance of constantly striving for improvement while never giving up, and it forged him into a skateboarding legend and successful entrepreneur,” said Sebastien Borget, Co-Founder of The Sandbox. “We share his passion for innovation, creativity, and the drive to constantly create something: this is the energy that powers our entertainment metaverse.”