Gamers eagerly anticipating the arrival of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 on Xbox Game Pass this month will be disappointed, as Microsoft has confirmed the title will no longer be joining the subscription service. The popular skateboarding game was initially part of the first wave of July additions, alongside other anticipated releases like Palworld 1.0 and Gears Of War: Reloaded.
The reversal was quietly announced through an update to Microsoft's original blog post detailing July's Game Pass line-up. The statement simply read: “We’ve removed Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 from the list of titles coming soon to Game Pass,” offering no explanation for the sudden change of plans. This lack of transparency has fuelled widespread speculation among the gaming community, with many pointing to potential music licensing complications or pre-existing contractual agreements between Activision, the game's publisher, and Sony, as possible causes.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 originally launched in 2020, predating Microsoft's significant acquisition of Activision in a deal valued at $68billion. Interestingly, its sequel, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4, was a day-one launch title for Xbox Game Pass, highlighting the complex nature of content distribution following major industry mergers.
The decision also comes at a challenging time for Xbox, which has recently confirmed a substantial wave of redundancies across its studios. More than 3,200 employees are reportedly set to lose their jobs as part of a wider restructuring effort. Xbox boss Asha Sharma articulated the company's precarious financial position, stating, “Our business today is not healthy. We are operating at margins that are 3–10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses.”
Sharma further explained that while bets on Game Pass and a broader content portfolio had created value, they “did not grow at the pace we expected.” This, combined with what she described as “the most severe hardware crisis in its history,” necessitates a “reset” for Xbox, suggesting that financial prudence and strategic adjustments are currently paramount for the gaming giant.