Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4has gotten off to quite a slow start on Steam in a couple of respects, although it seems as though there could be a pretty good reason. There has been plenty of hype forTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, but the Steam player count and reviews haven’t quite been what Iron Galaxy Studios may have hoped for.
The 2020Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2remake was met with stellar reviewsfrom critics, amassing an impressive 89 Top Critic Average over on review aggregator site OpenCritic. It was a great reintroduction to the series for potential new players, and the success of the first collection undoubtedly helped build the hype and anticipation forTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4. The release of3 + 4has faced some unfortunate pre-release controversy, such as the controversial changes made toPro Skater 4’s career mode or whether Bam Margera would appear or not.
Initally reported byTheGamer,Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4has failed to make a huge splash on Steam, with the $49.99 title debuting to a peak of 2,214 concurrent players on the platform. This is still an improvement overTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2’s peak concurrent player count of 1,804, but that title only launched on Steam three years after its initial release. There seems to be a good reason for the low player counts, though.Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4launched day one on Xbox Game Pass, with the PC tier of the subscription service included. This means that some gamers interested in the title will have simply decided to download it as part of that subscription, rather than paying $49.99 on release day.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4’s Low Player Count May Be the Result of Xbox Game Pass
It’s not just the player count that is struggling on Steam. DespiteTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4getting strong reviews from critics, players on Steam seem to be less impressed. The game currently has a “Mixed” Steam rating, with just 68% of community reviews being positive. A look through the negative reviews indicates that the huge changes toTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4are to blame for the current sentiment, meaning the issues aren’t necessarily PC-specific.
It’s interesting to see how the popularity of the skateboarding genre comes and goes in waves. It’s currently enjoying a resurgence, with theTony Hawk’s Pro Skaterseries returning in recent years,Session: Skate Simoffering a fresh perspective on the genre, andthe newSkategame set to enter Early Access later this year. Fans have plenty of options, so it’s a great time to be hopping into the skateboarding genre.
