Tony Hawk dives into The Sandbox to build a virtual skate park

Tony Hawk is venturing into the world of blockchain games in a partnership with The Sandbox.

It’s a bold new adventure for Hawk, who has been a key figure in skateboard gaming for decades. Since launching in 1999, his Tony Hawk Pro Skater franchise generated over $1.4 billion in sales.

Now, the sports legend is thinking about the metaverse. In partnership with Autograph and The Sandbox, Tony Hawk will build the “biggest skatepark in any world — whether the meatworld or metaverse.”

“I’ve been a fan of new technology all of my life — from the first videogames to home computers with CGI capabilities — so I’m fascinated by the metaverse,” said Hawk, in a statement.

The Sandbox is a decentralized gaming virtual world and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands. It is working with Tony Hawk Inc. and Autograph to create a Tony Hawk LAND in The Sandbox, marking the first entry of Tony Hawk into the blockchain-based world.

Through the partnership, Tony Hawk Inc. and The Sandbox will collaborate on Tony Hawk’s 6×6 LAND to “build the largest virtual skatepark ever made.”

In addition, Autograph will create Tony Hawk avatar non-fungible tokens (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.

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, the companies said.

Tony Hawk was a world champion for 12 years in a row and he continues to skate demos and exhibitions internationally. He remains the most recognized action-sports figure in the world. He considers skateboarding to be an art form, a lifestyle and a sport, and he was the first skateboarder to land a 900 — considered one of skateboarding’s most technically demanding moves — among many other achievements.

“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 Hawk.

“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, COO of The Sandbox, in a statement. “We share his passion for innovation, creativity and the drive to constantly create something: This is the energy that powers our entertainment metaverse. There’s no better way to bring skateboarding culture to The Sandbox than by following the example of the greatest skateboarder of all time, whose legacy stretches from the sport and lifestyle’s early days to the present and beyond.”

“At Autograph, we strive to build otherwise impossible experiences for communities of fans, and this is a step towards our goal of connecting them uniquely and at scale to Tony Hawk and each other,” said Dillon Rosenblatt, CEO at Autograph, in a statement. “We are thrilled to be working with The Sandbox and Tony Hawk on this activation and many others.”

Part virtual real estate, part amusement park, The Sandbox fully embraces the idea of the metaverse as a continuous shared digital space where worlds and heroes collide to make magic.

Tony Hawk joins over 300 existing partnerships including Warner Music Group, Ubisoft, The Rabbids, Gucci Vault, The Walking Dead, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Richie Hawtin, The Smurfs, Care Bears, Atari, Zepeto and CryptoKitties.

Earlier this week, The Sandbox announced it will partner with Playboy to create a MetaMansion in the world.

Originally appeared on: TheSpuzz