Oh, Oceanwide Plaza… The trio of Crypto.com Arena–adjacent towers began construction a decade ago, but stalled out in 2019 when its developer ran out of money. Then, early last year, the windows of about 27 floors were tagged with very visible graffiti—and, despite the L.A. City Council initially saying it would clean up the buildings, they still remain all tagged up. Now, these monuments to Downtown L.A.’s slump are about to be immortalized in a video game.
The graffiti towers’ appearance is actually part of a much more upbeat announcement: The Los Angeles-inspired level in the upcoming Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 will include a detailed recreation of Miracle Mile’s much-loved El Rey Theatre. Thanks to a collaboration between publisher Activision and promoter AEG Presents, both Goldenvoice and the Roxy will have billboards in the level, as well.
But the announcement footage for the El Rey’s inclusion came with one unmissable detail: a graffiti-covered skyscraper looming in the background that looks unmistakably like the beleaguered Oceanwide Plaza buildings.
If you’re wondering what a Mid-Wilshire theater is doing next to a DTLA high-rise, the remake of the early-aughts skateboarding game’s L.A. level is kind of a pastiche of local landmarks. (And the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 didn’t include the El Rey in that space but an adult movie theater instead.) Pershing Square’s purple tower is immediately recognizable, as is the Biltmore across the street and the car wash by L.A. Live. You can also spot the U.S. Bank Tower, the L.A. Central Library and some fictional earthquake-damaged freeway overpasses.
The latest Tony Hawk remake releases on July 11, but ahead of that on May 8, there’ll be a livestream hosted out of the El Rey to reveal more information about the game—with performances from Danny Brown, Lupe Fiasco, Adolescents and Urethane, no less. (Unfortunately, the in-person event is reserved for invited guests, so average Angelenos will have to resort to watching the live stream of THPS Fest.)
You’ll find plenty of folks musing online about whether Oceanwide Plaza will be scrubbed of graffiti or demolished altogether by the time the 2028 Olympics arrive in L.A. But, you know, worst case, these Tony Hawk remakes have suddenly made us realize that—forget the Sepulveda Basin—L.A.’s abandoned graffiti towers just might be the perfect place to stage Olympic skateboarding.