Robomodo
Robomodo was an American independent video game development studio based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in January 2008 by five former Electronic Arts Chicago employees: Josh Tsui, Dave Michicich, Nick Ehrlich, Peter Sauerbrei, and Richard Ho.[1][2] The studio specialized in console and mobile games, entering into a development agreement with Activision Blizzard for its debut project, a high-profile extreme sports title.[1] Robomodo ceased operations in 2016, with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 (2015) serving as its final release.[3] The studio gained prominence for taking over the Tony Hawk's franchise from Neversoft starting in 2008, developing motion-controlled spin-offs like Tony Hawk: Ride (2009) and Tony Hawk: Shred (2010), which introduced skateboard peripherals to the series.[4] It later returned to the series' roots with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD (2012), a digital remake of classic levels from the first two games, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 (2015), which aimed to revive the core skateboarding formula but faced criticism for its rushed development and incomplete launch state.[4] Beyond the Tony Hawk titles, Robomodo worked on sports simulations such as Big League Sports (2011) for Xbox 360, the mobile endless runner The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Panem Run (2013).[5][4] Throughout its existence, Robomodo navigated industry challenges, including significant layoffs of 30 to 60 staff members in 2010 amid uncertainty following Tony Hawk: Shred, which reduced its workforce substantially.[6] The studio's closure came after the expiration of Activision's licensing deal with Tony Hawk in 2015, leaving the franchise dormant until later revivals by other developers.[3] Robomodo's contributions, particularly to the later Tony Hawk era, remain notable for attempting to evolve the series with innovative hardware integration, though often met with mixed reception due to technical issues and shifting market demands.[5]History
Founding
Robomodo was established in January 2008 as an independent video game development studio in Chicago, Illinois, in the wake of the November 2007 closure of EA Chicago.[1][7] The studio was founded by five partners—Joshua Tsui (director), David Michicich (CEO and creative director), Nick Ehrlich (COO and director of project management), Peter Sauerbrei (CTO), and Richard Ho (motion director)—many of whom had previously collaborated at Midway Games in the early 1990s on titles like Mortal Kombat before moving to EA Chicago.[8] At EA Chicago, the founders and early team members contributed to prominent AAA franchises, including NBA Street, Def Jam, and Fight Night Round 3.[7][9] Initially self-funded to maintain independence, Robomodo assembled a core team of approximately 35 former EA Chicago staffers, drawing on their collective experience in high-profile console game development.[1] The studio focused on creating AAA titles for next-generation platforms such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with intentions to expand support for Wii, PC, and handhelds as projects progressed.[1][8] This emphasis on leveraging a "strong track record" from prior successes allowed the team to position Robomodo as a capable indie outfit capable of tackling established franchises.[1] In September 2008, the studio secured a publishing partnership with Activision for its debut project, marking a key step in its early operations while preserving its independent structure.[8]Expansion and key partnerships
Following its founding in early 2008 with a team of approximately 35 former employees from EA Chicago and Midway Games, Robomodo experienced rapid growth amid a challenging industry climate. By 2010, the studio had significantly expanded its workforce, hiring specialists in console development to support ambitious projects. This scaling enabled Robomodo to build internal expertise in advanced game technologies, positioning it as a viable partner for high-profile titles. Under the September 2008 partnership with Activision, Robomodo operated as an independent entity but aligned closely with Activision's portfolio, focusing exclusively on revitalizing the Tony Hawk franchise beginning with Tony Hawk: Ride, which integrated innovative peripheral hardware. This collaboration provided Robomodo with the resources and creative mandate to develop extreme sports games, marking its entry into AAA console production. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Robomodo's facilities emphasized technologies central to its projects, including motion-capture systems and peripheral integration tailored for immersive skateboarding experiences. These capabilities were instrumental in supporting the studio's work on motion-based gameplay mechanics during its growth phase. In a mid-period initiative to diversify beyond publisher-funded projects, Robomodo launched a Kickstarter campaign for Bodoink, a family-friendly pinball game utilizing Xbox Kinect and player avatars, on November 28, 2011. Aimed at raising $35,000 to polish the nearly complete title, the campaign ultimately fell short, collecting only about $5,547 before concluding without full funding, and the game did not materialize as planned.Layoffs and closure
In October 2010, Robomodo underwent significant layoffs, reducing its staff by an estimated 30 to 60 employees amid uncertainty following the development of Tony Hawk: Shred.[10][11][12] The studio confirmed the reductions but declined to specify the exact number affected, noting that key leadership positions remained intact.[13] Following the 2010 layoffs, Robomodo continued contributing to the Tony Hawk series with limited resources, including the 2012 release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD.[4] By 2015, the studio co-developed Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 alongside Disruptive Games, handling core gameplay elements while the partner focused on online features.[14][15] Robomodo ceased operations on August 26, 2016, approximately one year after Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5's September 2015 launch, which sold fewer than 600,000 units globally and faced criticism for its rushed development and outdated mechanics.[4][16] The closure was attributed to the game's commercial underperformance and broader industry trends moving away from motion-control peripherals, a core focus of Robomodo's earlier titles like [Tony Hawk: Ride](/page/Tony_Hawk: Ride) and Shred.[4][17] In the aftermath, co-founder Joshua Tsui left Robomodo in 2017 to pursue filmmaking and emerging technology projects, including documentaries on gaming history.[18] No efforts to revive the studio have been reported as of 2025.[19]Developed games
Tony Hawk: Ride and Shred
Tony Hawk: Ride, released on November 17, 2009, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii, marked Robomodo's debut project as a newly founded studio.[20][4] Developed from the ground up following the company's establishment in January 2008, the game emphasized a realistic skating simulation through its innovative skateboard-shaped peripheral, which utilized motion controls with multiple accelerometers and infrared sensors to detect leaning, turning, hopping, and grabs.[8][21][22] Robomodo invested heavily in this proprietary motion technology, designing the controller as a core platform rather than a mere add-on to enable physical, gesture-based gameplay that mimicked real skateboarding dynamics.[23][24] As a sequel, Tony Hawk: Shred launched on October 26, 2010, for the same platforms, building on the board peripheral while expanding the experience with an all-new snowboarding mode set in locations like Whistler, the French Alps, and Beijing.[25][26] Robomodo handled development for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, incorporating fresh levels and pro skaters such as Tony Hawk, Travis Rice, and Torah Bright, with the motion controls refined to support both skate and snowboard tricks through intuitive board movements.[26] The studio's team size peaked during these projects, growing by up to 20 percent in early 2010 to support ongoing work across platforms, though the effort faced internal challenges including parallel development streams and subsequent post-release adjustments.[27][10] Commercially, Tony Hawk: Ride achieved moderate sales of approximately 114,000 units in its first month in the United States, with the Wii version accounting for the majority at around 67,000 copies, but it drew criticism for peripheral durability and calibration issues that hindered precise control.[28][29] Tony Hawk: Shred underperformed further, selling only about 3,000 units in its debut week in the US and facing similar hardware-related backlash, compounded by development delays that pushed its release into late 2010.[30] These outcomes contributed to significant layoffs at Robomodo, with 30 to 60 staff members let go in October 2010 ahead of Shred's launch, signaling the end of the studio's motion-control focus on the franchise.[12]Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD and Pro Skater 5
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD, developed by Robomodo and published by Activision, served as a digital remake featuring seven classic levels drawn from the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.[31] The game was released on July 18, 2012, for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade, followed by August 28 for PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network, and September 18 for PC via Steam.[32][33][34] It marked Robomodo's shift away from the motion-controlled gameplay of prior titles like Tony Hawk: Ride and Shred, returning to traditional controller-based skating mechanics while updating visuals for high-definition platforms.[31] The HD remake was praised for its sharp visuals and faithful recreation of the series' core trick system and level designs, evoking nostalgia for the franchise's early entries.[35] However, critics noted its limited scope, with only a selection of levels, no create-a-park mode, and absence of features like multiplayer modes from the originals, resulting in a concise but incomplete package.[35] Building on this effort, Robomodo co-developed Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 with Disruptive Games, aiming to further revive the series' roots through classic side-scrolling levels, combo-focused gameplay, and new online integration.[36][37] Released on September 29, 2015, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with last-generation versions for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 following on November 10, the game included over 100 goals across its stages, a returning create-a-park mode for custom skatepark design and sharing, and online multiplayer supporting up to 20 players in shared worlds.[36][38][15] Development of Pro Skater 5 faced significant challenges, including a rushed production schedule reportedly driven by expiring licensing agreements, leading to numerous bugs, graphical glitches, and incomplete content at launch.[39][40] Activision acknowledged these issues post-release and committed to patches in collaboration with Robomodo, though the game's technical problems contributed to widespread criticism.[41][40] This period represented a broader platform transition for Robomodo's Tony Hawk projects, moving from peripheral-based motion controls on seventh-generation consoles to standard dual-analog controllers on eighth-generation systems like PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, emphasizing digital distribution and online connectivity over physical hardware.[36][37]Other games
In addition to the Tony Hawk series, Robomodo developed Big League Sports (2010), a sports simulation game for Wii and Xbox 360 featuring baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer with motion controls tailored to each sport.[42][5] The studio also created The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Panem Run (2013), an endless runner mobile game for iOS and Android tied to the film promotion, where players control Katniss Everdeen navigating Panem while avoiding obstacles and collecting items.[43][44]Unreleased and canceled projects
In 2011, Robomodo launched a Kickstarter campaign for Bodoink, a family-friendly Xbox Live Arcade game that utilized Microsoft's Kinect sensor to place players' avatars inside a giant pinball machine, where body movements controlled the ball's trajectory through pegs, bumpers, and obstacles.[45] The project sought $35,000 to supplement internal funding, marking one of the earliest console game efforts on the platform, but it only raised $5,547 from 121 backers before the campaign ended unsuccessfully.[46] Although Robomodo initially indicated the game would proceed to release regardless, Bodoink was later pivoted to a mobile format in 2013 amid ongoing development challenges, but it was ultimately canceled and never launched.[47] The cancellation of Bodoink stemmed primarily from the failed crowdfunding effort and Robomodo's shifting priorities toward committed Tony Hawk franchise obligations, including the development of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD shortly thereafter.[48] Resource constraints at the studio, exacerbated by 2010 layoffs that reduced staff amid uncertain prospects following Tony Hawk: Shred, limited the ability to pursue independent titles.[10] Additionally, the broader industry began pivoting away from Kinect-dependent experiences as the peripheral's novelty waned and Microsoft de-emphasized it in subsequent hardware generations.[49] These attempts at diversification, occurring during Robomodo's early expansion phase, underscored the studio's ambition to explore innovative motion-based peripherals beyond skateboarding simulations, though none progressed beyond conceptual or early prototyping stages.[47]Reception and legacy
Critical response to games
Robomodo's games received mixed to negative critical reception, with Metacritic aggregate scores reflecting widespread disappointment in innovation and execution. Tony Hawk: Ride earned an overall score of 46/100, criticized primarily for its gimmicky motion controls via the proprietary skateboard peripheral, which reviewers described as unresponsive and frustrating, leading to imprecise trick execution and limited gameplay depth.[50] Similarly, Tony Hawk: Shred scored 53/100, with ongoing complaints about the peripheral's poor responsiveness and repetitive mechanics that failed to evolve the series meaningfully.[51] Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD fared better at 66/100, praised for evoking nostalgia through faithful recreation of classic levels and satisfying core gameplay, alongside improved graphics that modernized the visuals without altering the formula.[52] However, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 achieved a dismal 32/100 average, lambasted for its buggy launch state, incomplete content, frequent glitches, and significant deviations from the series' traditional combo-driven structure, including awkward open-world elements and poor level design.[53] Some reviewers noted minor innovations, such as an advanced skatepark builder and enhanced online multiplayer, but these were overshadowed by technical shortcomings.[53] Sales performance underscored the critical backlash, contributing to the Tony Hawk series' decline during the Robomodo era. Tony Hawk: Ride sold approximately 610,000 units worldwide, underperforming expectations for a major franchise entry.[54] Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 fared worse, with global sales below 150,000 units, far short of the million-unit milestones typical of earlier titles.[55]| Game | Metacritic Score | Global Sales (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Tony Hawk: Ride | 46/100 | 610,000 units |
| Tony Hawk: Shred | 53/100 | N/A |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD | 66/100 | 520,000 units |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 | 32/100 | <150,000 units |