14 DAY TRIAL // Electronic Arts has recently announced that it is planning to create a new golf-related experience, called Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, which will allow gamers to get involved in matches with other players and even face off in virtual tournaments modeled after real world ones.
But the part of the announcement that drew the most attention was the implicit decision made by Electronic Arts to stick with Tiger Woods and continue to use his image while other companies, like Accenture or Gillette, dropped the controversial golfer after his unfortunate car accident and the revelations concerning his rather surprising private life.
Peter Moore, the outspoken head of EA Sports, contributed to the debate via his own blog. He wrote that “Our relationship with Tiger has always been rooted in golf. We didn't form a relationship with him so that he could act as an arm's length endorser. Far from it. We chose to partner with Tiger in 1997 because we saw him as the world's best, most talented and exciting golfer. We struck that partnership with the assumption that he would remain near or at the top of his sport for years to come.”
The real question is whether those who pick up the Tiger Woods PGA Tour videogames are in any way interested in the personal misgivings that affect the best golfer in the world. The series saw clear success in 2009 and Electronic Arts is betting on the fact that they are more interested in the mechanics of the simulation and the ability to select Tiger Woods as a playable character than in the media circus currently surrounding him. When the storm finally blows over Tiger Woods, his persona will continue to prove beneficial to the golf series from EA Sports and will probably drive its continued growth.