There were certainly some doubts as to whether Tiger Woods would retain the cover of the EA golfing game after last year’s events. Today, Electronics Arts Inc has confirmed Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 for the Wii, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and yes Tiger will be on the cover.
Set for a March 29th release, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 will feature the historic Masters Tournament at the August National Golf Club in Georgia. Both the iPad, iPhone and iPod will have a version of the game, but without the Masters course.
The announcement that EA would keep Tiger Woods as the face of their golfing franchise is serious news. Since the events of last Thanksgiving, sponsors such as Accenture, At&t and Gatorade have pulled the plug on the golfer. EA and Nike remain the two strongest supporters.
2010 was the first time since Tiger Woods turned pro that he did not win a single tournament, costing him his rank as the world’s number one pro golfer. Due to the controversy, EA Sports expects the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 to dip 30 to 35 percent from the two million units sold in 2010. The end result is a revenue hit of about $20 to $25 million.
It looks like EA’s move to launch their Facebook golf game without Tiger Wood’s name was not a sign of their faith in the golfer. Has EA made the right move to retain Tiger Woods for PGA Tour 12 or is it time for the sports franchise to look for a fresh new face? Let us know what you think about today’s announcement.
EA Sports| TBD | March 29
