EA Sports knows how to make a franchise game successful, with its multi-million selling Madden NFL series and the worldwide appeal of FIFA. But not too long ago, it held a firm grip on golf with the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series, dominating with a wide assortment of courses and options, along with the kind of gameplay that captured the fundamentals of the sport.
However, controversial issues off the golf course forced Tiger Woods to break away from EA Sports, and the franchise was left without a superstar golfer for the first time. At one point, it appeared that the publisher would move forward with the PGA Tour series without a big name – but apparently that’s no longer the case.
EA Sports has signed on up-and-comer Rory McIlroy to headline its latest golf game, Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, which will make its debut this June on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Obviously, McIlroy isn’t as big a name as Woods, but considering his legacy on the sport in the past few years, he could easily gain popularity as a staple in the golf series.
“I’m very proud and humbled to see my face and name on EA Sports Rory McIlroy PGA Tour,” McIlroy said in a statement. “This is a great honor, and something I couldn’t even dream of growing up playing the sport. I really hope people enjoy the game and I’m very glad I can be a part of it.”
The game will feature a wide assortment of male and female golfers, as well as authentic courses taken from around the world. However, EA Sports looks to have a different angle on golf this time around, introducing “interactive” elements that appear on the course on occasion. During a trailer that debuted last year, a battleship crashed its way onto the mainland, forcing the player to adapt their style of play so that they could still get the ball on the green.
The publisher also hopes to bump the golf game up a notch with the introduction of the Frostbite engine, which is normally reserved for first-person shooters, like the Battlefield series. EA’s Brent Nielsen said, “Frostbite has allowed us to take this franchise to a whole new level. The new engine drastically improves all facets of the game, from core gameplay to opportunities for brand-new modes and features. We’re looking forward to sharing a lot of great news with our fans throughout the rest of the spring.”
Whether these new elements – and McIlroy’s name – can bring the PGA Tour series back to prosperity is still up in the air, since its absence over the last couple of years has forced golfing fans to turn elsewhere to get their swing on. However, with the right elements – and its highly-regarded online options (where players can play a round consecutively, without waiting on others to take their turn) – PGA Tour could certainly be a hit.
Just watch out for that battleship, though. That’s a heck of a stroke penalty.
