‘Greatest of All-Time’ Skater Tony Hawk Launches Virtual Skate Park in Sandbox

Tony Hawk, the world’s most famous skateboarder, is building a skate park in the metaverse in partnership with The Sandbox and Autograph:
Under the Autograph collaboration, Hawk will produce NFTs that fans will be able to leverage in The Sandbox’s metaverse. This latest collection joins others of Hawk’s that feature his equipment and apparel, including the legendary skateboard Hawk used to land the 900 (a 2½-revolution aerial spin) at the X Games in 1999.
Hawk an Early Crypto Adopter
Since launching in 1999, his Tony Hawk Pro Skater franchise has generated over US$1.4 billion in sales. Hawk was also an early adopter of cryptocurrency, having bought bitcoin in 2012 after discovering it on the now-defunct Silk Road marketplace:
I’ve been a fan of new technology all of my life, from the very first video games 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.
Tony Hawk, skateboarding legend and early crypto adopterAdvertisement
Hawk will collaborate with The Sandbox to build “the largest virtual skatepark ever seen”.
The Sandbox has become a magnet for celebrities and brands to explore the metaverse by launching experiences and digital representations of their products, having formed partnerships with the Care Bears, Warner Music, the Walking Dead, Snoop Dogg, Deadmau5, Atari, the Smurfs and Adidas. Just last week, lifestyle brand Playboy announced it was launching its ‘MetaMansion’ in The Sandbox.
Since raising US$93 million in its series B funding round last November, the company is reportedly considering a new funding round that would bring in US$400 million at a US$4 billion valuation.