For 16 years, Tiger Woods was the face of the EA Sports' PGA Tour franchise, releasing Tiger Woods PGA Tour every year from 1998 until 2014. After a fall from the top of the golfing world, Woods was removed from the title, and the future of the franchise was left in question for the next year.
Those questions were answered, however, as developer Electronic Arts announced today that the next video game in the franchise will be named Rory McIlroy PGA Tour. Rory McIlroy becoming the new face of the gaming franchise not only shows a shift to McIlroy as the top player in the world, but also shows that McIlroy has at least some level of marketability. EA hopes that McIlroy can attract the casual fans and persuade them into spending money on the video game, a tough task.
McIlroy and Woods are not the only two players to have games named after them. In response to the perceived monopoly that Electronic Arts has on the golf market, John Daly was named the face of a video game in 2010 called John Daly ProStroke Golf. The game was developed by Gusto Games and, not surprisingly, the game did not sell well. Back in 1988, Lee Trevino was the namesake of a game called Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf, which didn't include any actual fighting.
The new Rory McIlroy cover can be seen here. The game's release date is currently set for June 2015, which is their usual annual release window. The details of McIlroy's contract has not been released, so it is unknown how long McIlroy will be the namesake of the franchise. McIlroy will likely determine that by how he performs on the course.
On a personal note, this is a blog on two of my biggest passions, golf and video games. I'm the happiest blogger in the world right now.
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