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Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£35.99View Amazon Prime Day Deals Essential Hardware PC Gaming Show Recommended reading Iron Galaxy has explained why Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 won't feature the career mode: 'Our goal here is to make the ultimate package' Splitgate 2 boss blames a former Call of Duty developer for $80 bundle, says he 'didn't intend for it to come off as shifting blame' 'The soundtrack to skate parks was punk rock music': Tony Hawk on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtracks, and how they shaped a generation of videogame skate kids 'We as the developers do not feel like we are being robbed by anyone': Drug Dealer Simulator developer says it 'would not pursue any legal actions against Schedule 1 in any shape or form' if it had its way 'The censorship is a step too far': Ready or Not is getting review bombed after developers sanitise the game to adhere to stricter console standards Haunted looking art director livestreams apology for Marathon theft scandal, but chat is merciless: 'Would write an original comment, but I don't see any good ones to plagarize' Splitgate 2 boss apologizes for the 'division' caused by his MAGA-style hat but still insists it wasn't meant to be political: 'There's division in the community, and for that I am truly sorry' Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 developer is trying to figure out who put the edgy Guitar Hero gag in the game it made, promises to remove it in the next update even though players want it to stay Andy Chalk 15 July 2025 Iron Galaxy Studios has "the utmost respect for anyone who makes games," even Neversoft. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Iron Galaxy Studios) Iron Galaxy, the studio that made the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 remake, says it is investigating how an amusing, some might say slightly edgy, reference to Guitar Hero and developer Neversoft ended up in the game. It also committed to removing the image in question, even though players are now asking the studio to just leave it alone. The offending image was initially brought to light on Reddit (via VGC) by someone who clearly wasn't amused by the whole thing. "Copy of (legally distinct) Guitar Hero in the trash on waterpark," they wrote. "Goes to show IG's respect for Neversoft." (Image credit: Iron Galaxy Studios) Neversoft, founded in 1994 and acquired by Activision in '99, was the developer of the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games, but in the mid-2000s was shifted over to the Guitar Hero series to capitalize on its then-massive popularity. Unfortunately, it came in just as Guitar Hero was peaking: Just a few years after Guitar Hero 3, its first game in the series, Neversoft pushed out its last game, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, which did not do well. The Guitar Hero series was put on ice and Neversoft briefly became a Call of Duty support studio, before being shuttered entirely in 2014. Related Articles Iron Galaxy has explained why Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 won't feature the career mode: 'Our goal here is to make the ultimate package' Splitgate 2 boss blames a former Call of Duty developer for $80 bundle, says he 'didn't intend for it to come off as shifting blame' 'The soundtrack to skate parks was punk rock music': Tony Hawk on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtracks, and how they shaped a generation of videogame skate kids Here's a better look at front and back images—yes, Iron Galaxy covered the bases—courtesy of redditors The_Ghost_339 and One-Treat-5078: Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Iron Galaxy Studios) (Image credit: Iron Galaxy Studios) (Image credit: Iron Galaxy Studios) (Image credit: Iron Galaxy Studios) So you can sort of understand why a die-hard Neversoft fan might see an image of Banjo Champion (complete with Neversoft logo) stuffed into a garbage pail as perhaps a little ungentlemanly. I think you could argue just as easily, though, that it's a contextually appropriate tip of the hat to the studio that brought THPS to life in the first place. In any event, Iron Galaxy, in fine corporate fashion, immediately overreacted. "We have the utmost respect for anyone who makes games, we’re investigating how that got in there in the first place," the Iron Galaxy Dev Team wrote on Reddit. "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." The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Okay, so let's just get this out of the way: (Image credit: I Think You Should Leave) And it didn't take long for other Tony Hawk fans to chime in, asking Iron Galaxy to leave the Banjo Champion box in the game. "It's just a silly gag, no need to remove it," redditor xMau5kateer wrote. Crimsonclaw111 called the reference "a benign joke," and LackingAGoodName added, "I'd like to think anyone from Neversoft would be perfectly fine with this, it's clear there was no disrespect intended." "Don't remove it," AlexFlame116 wrote. "It's both hilarious and a testament to the treatment that Acti gave the series. It absolutely must stay." Redditor swine_is_tall actually worked the presence of the box into a bit of Activision metaverse lore: "Most people who bought Guitar Hero (or in this case, Banjo Hero lol) threw out the packaging, so this box being in the trash says to me that someone is rocking out in the THPS universe." Myself, I think it's entirely harmless, passingly amusing (reminds me of a joke: Guy parks his car in a rough neighborhood one night with his expensive banjo in the back seat, comes back a few hours later to find his window smashed in and three more banjos sitting in the car), and I sincerely doubt that any former Neversoft developer is going to take it as shots fired. I also briefly held out hope that once the heat of the moment had cooled, Iron Galaxy might decide it's not such a big deal after all, and that the box—and the memories—can stay. Alas, it is not to be: A studio rep confirmed that despite calls for the Banjo Champion box to remain, it will be removed in the next update. Social Links Navigation US News Lead Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Iron Galaxy has explained why Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 won't feature the career mode: 'Our goal here is to make the ultimate package' Splitgate 2 boss blames a former Call of Duty developer for $80 bundle, says he 'didn't intend for it to come off as shifting blame' 'The soundtrack to skate parks was punk rock music': Tony Hawk on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtracks, and how they shaped a generation of videogame skate kids 'We as the developers do not feel like we are being robbed by anyone': Drug Dealer Simulator developer says it 'would not pursue any legal actions against Schedule 1 in any shape or form' if it had its way 'The censorship is a step too far': Ready or Not is getting review bombed after developers sanitise the game to adhere to stricter console standards Haunted looking art director livestreams apology for Marathon theft scandal, but chat is merciless: 'Would write an original comment, but I don't see any good ones to plagarize' Latest in Sports Rematch developers didn't 'get' the game, Sloclap boss says, until they started playing internal tournaments: 'I don't give a s**t about football, but this really struck something in me' Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4: All game mods explained I would've loved Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 a lot more if it hadn't made the mistake of rolling out time limits for every level How to unlock every Secret Skater in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 Rematch players are still crashing out over 'self-absorbed' ball hogs, and while I do get it, I can't help but wonder if some zen is in order Rematch plans to add an in-game report system, punish own-goal griefers with 3 days in the slammer, and slap cheaters with indefinite bans Latest in News Microsoft's 200 laid-off King devs are reportedly being replaced by AI they helped build, while its 'absolute 's***show' HR department looks away and whistles The Nintendo DS had it right all along: Ayaneo launches Flip 1S DS and Flip 1S KB, two new clamshell handheld gaming PCs with prices to make your teeth clench Escape from Tarkov begins to quietly U-turn after last week's hardcore wipe left players penniless and bored to tears with the grind Guild Wars 2's sixth expansion is taking players to an island paradise this October, with beachside player housing and a major addition to buildcrafting It might give me the heebie jeebies but I can't help wanting one of these transparent power supplies to soothe my retro-starved mind 'I think Todd in particular gravitates not towards the weird stuff': Skyrim's co-lead and Morrowind 'torchbearer' says Elder Scrolls 6 will probably be pretty normcore HARDWARE BUYING GUIDES LATEST GAME REVIEWS Best PCIe 5.0 SSD for gaming in 2025: the only Gen 5 drives I will allow in my PC Best graphics cards in 2025: I've tested pretty much every AMD and Nvidia GPU of the past 20 years and these are today's top cards Best gaming laptop in 2025: I've put the best of this new generation head-to-head and we have a winner Best gaming chair in 2025: I've tested a ton of gaming chairs and these are the seats I'd suggest for any PC gamer Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads Keychron M7 8K Wireless review Corsair MAKR 75 review Crucial 128 GB DDR5-6400 CUDIMM review beyerdynamic DT 1770 PRO MKII review Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream review PC Gamer is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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