Tony Hawk rides again

Activision gave the Tony Hawk franchise a year off after the series lost steam at retailers, but the Hawkman is apparently ready to take flight once more.

According to a Joystiq report from the Video Game Awards in Los Angeles tonight, Hawk confirmed for the blog that Activision is working on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD. As the name suggests, the game will be a revamped version of old Tony Hawk content for release on high-definition platforms. In this case, the game is said to compile "select" levels from the first two Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games, including School and Downhill. Hawk added that the game is set for release on "digital platforms" in the first half of 2012.

The most recent Tony Hawk game--last year's Tony Hawk: Shred--was developed by independent studio Robomodo and sold under 3,000 units in its first week. It was the second game, following Tony Hawk: Ride, to use a motion-sensing skateboarding peripheral. While Activision hadn't committed to a new game in the series for 2012, company executives had said they still see potential in the franchise, likening Hawk's staying power to that of NBA great Michael Jordan, who played his last professional game in 2003 but was the cover athlete for NBA 2K11 and one of several for this year's NBA 2K12.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD is expected to receive an official announcement at the Spike Video Game Awards tonight. The VGAs will be broadcast live tonight on Spike TV and MTV2, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific.

[UPDATE]: In the VGA pre-show, Tony Hawk confirmed that the game will be released on downloadable platforms for under $20 and said Activision was aiming for a summer release.