Next Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 Update to Remove Guitar Hero Easter Egg

The latest release from Activision and Iron Galaxy, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, features tons of easter eggs. From its secret skaters, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ Michelangelo, to a brief section that brings skaters to SpongeBob Squarepants’ hometown of Bikini Bottom, the game is teeming with references. However, one reference regarding one of Activision’s most beloved but dormant franchises has been considered disrespectful and will be removed in the game’s next update.

As spotted by Reddit user will-powers, their post on the THPS subreddit shows an image of what looks like a Guitar Hero box in a trash can located somewhere in the THPS 3 + 4 Waterpark level, a new stage introduced in the remake. Although it may just be an innocent reference made by Iron Galaxy, some of the members of the game’s community have deemed it disrespectful to the series’ original developer, Neversoft.

The developers commented in the post, saying they are “investigating” how the box got there in the first place, and that they would be removing it in the next update.

“We have the utmost respect for anyone who makes games, we’re investigating how that got in there in the first place,” said Iron Galaxy in the post. “Thank you to the community for bringing this to our attention and we’ll be removing that from the environment art in the next update.”

In the same post, some players got a closer look at the Guitar Hero box. An obvious nod to the popular rhythm game franchise, the THPS 3 + 4 easter egg is titled Banjo Champion, and does feature a Neversoft logo on the back of the box.

In terms of where it came from, the Guitar Hero box easter egg was actually featured in the Activision and Vicarious Visions release, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2. A Reddit post made five years ago shows an image of the same boxes in the Hangar level, which is the very first level in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2.

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A date and more details regarding the upcoming THPS 3 + 4 update are not yet known.

Although it seems there is some sort of controversy regarding many facets of THPS 3 + 4, it has done well critically. According to the review aggregate site Metacritic, it received an average score of 82 across 32 critic reviews. In our review, we gave it a 4.5 out of 5.

“Against all odds, Iron Galaxy created a solid follow-up to THPS 1+2, and one that I know I’ll be playing for hours on end,” reads our review. “It may not be a faithful recreation of two of the best video games ever made, but whether you’re a long-time fan or newcomer, THPS 3+4 is absolutely worth playing.”

THPS 3 + 4 is available now for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can check out the game as part of their membership.