GameInformer has published a new preview of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5, which it says "is a full-priced new entry in the series that philosophically pretends Tony Hawk's Underground and the subsequent games never existed."
Robomodo and Disruptive Games are returning to the early days of the series, and won't allow players to get off their boards or enter cars. In addition, level objectives are not story based. That being said, the game isn't just Pro Skater HD with new levels, as the developers have added contemporary online integration, enhancements to the gameplay, and a full create-a-park playground.
The new game doesn't fundamentally change what made the series so popular back in 1999, but instead changes how players approach it. Even so, there's no new control scheme.
"No, then it wouldn't be THPS," producer Dino Verano said. "If we were really doing a whole new control scheme, then I feel like we'd be doing a disservice to the true fans of the franchise."
"Size-wise it's going to be pretty big, but we still want to do kind of like a return to form; hearkening back to the old Pro Skater stuff, so it's not going to feel like an open-world game per se," Verano added. "It's going to be kind of narrowed down, more focused."
The game is set for release later this year. You can find out more in the GameInformer preview.