Few months back, there was a rumour Neversoft - creators and sole developers of the core Tony Hawk series - had been taken off the franchise by Activision and replaced by startup Robomodo.

Turns out that was...well, mostly correct. Speaking with the Great Falls Tribune, Neversoft founder Joel Jewett says that the next Tony Hawk will indeed be the first main entry in the franchise to be developed outside of Neversoft.

It's probably best for the franchise ... it's time for someone else to add fresh ideas to it.

That doesn't confirm whether Neversoft let go of the reigns or were booted off, but the end result is the same; the next Tony Hawk should be a different affair.

No confirmation that Robomodo are indeed the team taking over, but since their company page still says they're working on "a high-profile extreme sports title for Activision Blizzard", it looks likely.

Founder of Guitar Hero III developer credits Great Falls for successes [greatfallstribune]

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