STOCKHOLM — Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk once turned down half a million dollars in future royalties from the popular video game Pro Skater — and he says it was the “best financial decision” of his life.
Hawk was offered $500,000 in a one-time buyout deal for use of his name and likeness for Activision’s Pro Skater title, which was released in 1999.
Speaking at the Techarena technology conference in Stockholm on Thursday, Hawk said that when he received the proposal, it “didn’t seem like a real number to me.”
He ultimately decided to turn it down, citing success in both his personal and professional life as giving him the boost to take the risk and bat away the bid.
“I had a family, I had just bought a new house, and I felt like I could afford the mortgage. And I thought, I’m doing pretty well in my life outside this video game project,” Hawk said.
“And so I thought, I can afford to take a chance. And so, that was the lucky timing of it, so I turned it down. That was absolutely the best financial decision of my life,” he added.