Rodney Mullen is a staple of skateboarding, as a sport and as a subculture. This is the man that literally invented the kickflip, the heelflip, the flatground ollie and more, and these are tricks that have transcended into the mainstream. In short: Rodney Mullen is a certified, inarguable legend. So, it should come as no surprise he’s been an integral part of the legacy of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater since 2000.
Now, 25 years later and approaching his 60s, Mullen took to the red carpet at Tony Hawk Pro Skater Fest in Los Angeles, and, thanks to Activision, we were on ground to ask the man about the game’s legacy, why he thinks it has staying power and what’s so special about this community ahead of the release of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4.
If you ask anyone at the event what the one thing that makes this franchise special, they’ll probably say some variation of “it’s timeless.” Consider the fact that, just ahead of Mullen on the carpet, walked Chloe Covell, the 14-year-old icon from Tweed Heads who is carving out a legacy of her own in skateboarding, born some 11 years after the original Pro Skater game was released.
And Rodney Mullen thinks no different.
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“It’s because it allows for so much individuality,” Rodney says.
“We don’t just bat a ball. How many sports are so tethered to an entire culture? We make a mark to individuality, not by winning contests, but by how distinctive the mark we leave. And there’s so much dimension where so many different types of people can make a distinctive mark. It’s so inclusive.”
When it comes to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, Rodney says, much like its predecessors, the magic of its legacy is in the details.
“The integration of punk rock and hip-hop, the street art, all of it,” he says.
“The vibe and the activity fits the feeling of it. And that’s what allows other cultures that you would think you have nothing in common with to completely connect. That synergy is so rare and so special.”
But, ever the humble hero, Rodney Mullen completely downplays his impact on the game and gives all the credit to the studios and, of course, its namesake.
“The combination of Activision and Neversoft… they had the secret sauce,” he says.
“They made something that stood heads and shoulders above anything else and it has become transcendent precisely because of the way all those people mingle together.
“And then, of course, Tony. He’s so gifted, and warm, but he’s the perfect ambassador because he’s able to navigate the outside world, should I say, in a way a lot of us couldn’t do if we tried. I’m from a farm in Florida — I couldn’t do what Tony did, but I’m so thankful he was the one. He picked legit people who are not just great skaters, but who have given so much love into it and to who they are. Oh my God, that spirit is like nothing else.”
Even though the game has online cross-platform multiplayer capabilities, don’t expect to see Rodney Mullen looking to take you on in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 anytime soon.
“I’m terrible at it,” he says of playing the game, “I’ve not played more than 10 minutes of it.”
I guess, when you’ve contributed so much to the sport the game is based on, you don’t have to be good at collecting S-K-A-T-E or finding secret tapes.
You can play as Rodney Mullen, or as a smorgasbord of other iconic skaters (including Australia’s very own wunderkind Chloe Covell), in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 when it comes out on July 11.
Jackson Langford