Vancouver, British Columbia – September 15, 2009 – EA today revealed the next title in the company’s landmark skateboarding franchise: SKATE 3, and confirmed that it will ship in May 2010. SKATE 3 breaks new ground by taking all of the camaraderie and competitive excitement of real-life skateboarding and brings it to the hands of gamers. Whether online or offline, players can now team up to build the ultimate skate crew in the definitive skateboarding co-op experience. In SKATE 3, players take part in team-based challenges, compete against rival crews and leave their mark on the all-new skater’s paradise, Port Carverton.

“The social and community aspects of the SKATE franchise are something we’ve always embraced, but we’ve never done anything to the scale you’re going to see in SKATE 3,” said Senior Producer, Jason DeLong. “We’re giving gamers a very unique experience by providing them with the tools they need to build their ultimate team or to create a team comprised entirely of their online friends. From there, it’s all about proving yourself – teaming up, and throwing down.”

Players who pre-order SKATE 3 get an unlock code that gives them exclusive access to the iconic Black Box Distribution Skate Park, home turf of Zero, Mystery, and Fallen skate teams. Black Box Distribution was founded in 2000 by Jamie Thomas, and houses and distributes some of skateboarding’s biggest selling brands. Pre-orders are available now at the EA Store or at participating retailers nationwide.

SKATE 3 features an all-new co-op mode where teammates can complete challenges together while advancing each other’s careers. From rewarding epic bails and fails with a beefed up Hall of Meat mode to honing your craft with the all-new skate.School, players of all skill levels have multiple ways to “kill it” in the game. The franchise also continues to raise the bar for user created content with the skate. Create feature suite, an innovative toolset that empowers gamers to truly express their skate style by creating their own graphics, videos, and skate parks.

SKATE 3 is being developed by Black Box, an Electronic Arts studio. SKATE 3 will be released on PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system in May 2010.  More information can be found at the Official Site or follow us on Twitter at Hippyjump.

This fall players will be able to experience skateboarding like never before in Tony Hawk: RIDE from Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) is expected to release by November 17th. For the first time, players will have the ability to physically play the game using an innovative motion sensing skateboard controller, allowing for unprecedented freedom and movement. Tony Hawk: RIDE focuses on innovation and fun, bringing the #1 best-selling action-sports franchise to the forefront with cutting-edge technology for the hardcore fans and accessibility for the mass audience.

“Tony Hawk: RIDE is a massive step forward for the franchise and the gaming industry as a whole,” said Rob Kostich, head of marketing, global brand management, Activision Publishing, Inc. “The skateboard controller will redefine sports games by offering players a true skateboarding experience, hands-free, playing with friends and family at home or online in a variety of different locations.”

“This is the game I’ve always wanted to make,” said Tony Hawk, who has been directly involved with development of the project. “Playing on the board is unlike any other game, and I’m excited for everyone to have the chance to feel what it’s really like to experience the true feeling of skateboarding.”

Tony Hawk: RIDE features a wireless skateboard controller designed in conjunction with the game to offer a dynamic gaming experience built from the ground up. Using a combination of accelerometers and motion sensors, the intuitive controller allows players to physically control the action by performing various movements and gestures on the board that directly translate into amazing tricks in the game. Without complex button combinations or analog sticks, gamers of all skill levels can literally step on the board and play!

Tony Hawk: RIDE is in development by Robomodo for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system. Buzz Monkey is developing the Wii(TM) system version. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB and is scheduled for release later this year.

For more information on Tony Hawk: RIDE, please visit www.THRide.com.

About Tony Hawk, Inc.

Tony Hawk, Inc. is a world leader in its field with the unprecedented ability to bring alternative sports and their unique lifestyle to the masses while maintaining an indispensable edge of authenticity with the market’s hard-core, trendsetting audience. Founded by Tony Hawk in 1998 and based in Vista, CA, the company is organized into five segments: Merchandising, Events, Endorsements, Film and Digital Media. These lifestyle sports include skateboarding, BMX, Motocross, surfing and snowboarding. Consumer goods bearing the Tony Hawk brand have dominated several markets, including interactive games, skateboard hard goods, lifestyle apparel, toys, publications and more.

Check out the new video for Ben Harper and Relentless7’s “Fly One Time” from their album White Lies For Dark Times. The video features clips of amazing footage depicting the highs and lows of life through the eyes of incredible athletes and humanitarians. Professional Cyclist Lance Armstrong, Pro-Big Wave Surfers Laird Hamilton and Dave Kallama, Pro-Skater Christian Hosoi, Sport Climber Lynn Hill, Tightrope Walker Nick Wallenda, Olympian Jesse Owens and spiritual leader, the Dalai Llama are all featured.

Los Angeles, CA – éS and the éS Game of SKATE are calling you out. They know who you are. You’re the kid who is always filming or shooting photos of his friends at the local spot. You’re the kid who always keeps the local scene on everyone’s radar. You want a break in life and the chance to go on the road trip of a lifetime with a van full of like-minded skateboarders and maybe, just maybe, getting your foot in the door at a dream job in California. They know you’re out there. And they want you to enlist!

It’s the éS Game of SKATE Internship of a Lifetime contest! They are going to find three (3) of the best-qualified candidates to come along on the Official 2009 éS Game of SKATE tour and join them in making some skateboarding history. They need three skaters who fall into one of the following categories:

* An up-and-coming skateboard filmer with a camera and the best eye for composition since French Fred and the editing touch of Jon Miner and Mike Manzoori.
* An aspiring skateboard photographer.
* A writer/blogger who can weave words into paragraphs that leave us wishing we were reading a novel, not just the latest tour story of life on the road.

For more information, visit: http://esgameofskate.com

Bob Burnquist on his Mega Ramp: Photo Courtesy of The New York Times

VISTA, Calif. — The largest skateboard ramp in the world can be found on a 12-acre farm north of San Diego among the green foothills of the San Marcos Mountains.

Pilots routinely adjust their flight paths for a closer look, which is as good a way as any to sum up the scale of the Mega Ramp. The wooden structure is longer than a football field, as tall as an eight-story building, with a creek bed running through a 70-foot breach.

On a recent sunny afternoon, the ramp’s owner, Bob Burnquist, a renowned 30-year-old professional skateboarder from Brazil, peered over the side to treetops below and said: “I’m not afraid of falling. I’m afraid I might jump.”

That mind-set helps on the Mega Ramp, where skaters reach speeds of up to 55 miles an hour and soar like stuntmen.

Approximately 360 feet long, the ramp is 75 feet high at its apex. That is where riders begin their run, speeding down a 180-foot-long roll-in to a ramp that launches them across a 70-foot gap with trapeze netting below. Landing on a 27-foot sloped section, they then boost up to 50 feet above the ground from a 30-foot quarterpipe. A shorter route begins with a 55-foot-tall platform leading to a 50-foot gap, and the 30-foot quarterpipe. (more…)