Moore: EA not backing away from Tiger

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 4 January, 2011

"Don't read anything" into box art omission.

EA has denied it's leaving Tiger Woods behind following its new focus on the Augusta National course and the golfer's omission from box art with PGA Tour 12: The Masters.

Earlier today it emerged that EA Sports had dropped Woods from the box art of the game. Box art for the standard edition of all three versions of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters go big on the Masters Logo instead.

While Woods will appear on the box art of the PS3-exclusive Collector's Edition, some have suggested EA's decision was the result of the controversy surrounding Woods' private life and loss of form.

Not so, according to EA Sports president Peter Moore.

"We like everybody else that's involved with Tiger and the game of golf in general, the Augusta club, are all anticipating a great year for golf this year and Tiger being very important in that," Moore said in response to a question from Eurogamer in a conference call this evening.

"Obviously it was a difficult year last year, but you saw towards the end of the season Tiger starting to get back to his old ways. We all as both a sports industry and sports fans are hopeful he comes back in full force in 2011.

"He is on the PS3 version of the game [Collector's Edition]. Our focus this year for this particular release is the Masters itself. You can see the iconic flag as part of the box art.

"If the insinuation is it's a reflection of EA Sports backing away from its relationship that goes back literally 13 years with Tiger, that's not the case whatsoever. This is obviously a very important day in our history and an important day in the world of golf videogames, and focusing on the Masters is the right thing to do.

"But Tiger is right there on the PS3 version of the game with Move support, which was very good for us and Sony last year. We'll continue that.

"This is something that's very special, very different. You shouldn't read anything into the fact that Tiger's not featured on the box art of that particular edition."

Last month, EA boss John Riccitiello said Woods needed to start winning games in order for his business relationship with EA to make sense.

"We have no plans to move away from him, but it's a business relationship on the basis of we make the best golf game and he's the best golfer," Riccitiello said.

"Both of those things need to be true in the long run for the partnership to make sense.

"He sort of stuck with us for a very long time and we made great business together," he added, "and we're willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for a period of time."

Sales of the 2011 iteration were down 68 per cent compared to the previous year's edition, but Moore hopes this year's game will fare better.

"We're obviously very optimistic that because this is so new and something the golf videogame community has been literally begging for for close to a decade, it will drive considerable sales," Moore said.

"Our projections are to do very well."

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (26) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Lotos8ter #1 1 year ago

    They should have put one of his busty hostess conquests on the front cover, with a tagline,
    "I'll give you three strokes and play with your wood"

  • metalangel #2 1 year ago

    Oh, just be honest with us. Project Ten Dollar is a big scam, you hate PC users, your games are all struggling and you don't know why, and you ARE dumping Tiger because his negative image is the last thing you need.

  • DreadedWalrus #3 1 year ago

    The weirdest thing about the new box art is it really looks like the game is now called "EA Sports Masters", with the true title being put underneath, less prominently. It's a bit weird. And rubbish, as was pointed out in the other thread.

  • NotSoSlim #4 1 year ago

    That shot is still stupidly good...amazing golfer indeed.

  • thisisatempaccount #5 1 year ago

    "you saw towards the end of the season Tiger starting to get back to his old ways"

    Does his wife know about this?

    (Unfortunate choice of words there, Peter.)

  • MindFukr69 #6 1 year ago

    I think we need more Tiger related news.

  • gjgjg #7 1 year ago

    and so we hear the continuous spin of the marketing wheel.
    Well i guess it would have been difficult to sell as people would have expected some kind of gta style 'drive over prostitutes with a golf car' game.

  • MORZTAN #8 1 year ago

    Backing, however, would be the safest way to get away from Tiger Woods.

  • insincere_dave #9 1 year ago

    So just to summarise, every single golf game in recent times by EA has featured Tiger on the cover and now they've mysteriously decided not to include him on the cover after a year of bad press.

    Fair enough, Moore, you've got to spin this thing but please seriously... these two things are not linked? Really? REALLY??

  • NotSoSlim #10 1 year ago

    He wins tournaments next year and he will be back on the cover. EA are that fickle its pathetic

  • randompanda #11 1 year ago

    It's advertising. Everything about it has been created very specifically by a team of designers to fit a brief.

    Of course the omission's intentional.

  • ozzzy189 #12 1 year ago

    tiger woods being a shagger had nothing to do with poor sales. the game was fucking shite and it needs a serious revamp to make the grade. no kinect support ? another missed opportunity then.

  • NotSoSlim #13 1 year ago

    @ozzy

    Exactly. Game needs a major overhaul and them indirectly blaming Tiger for poor sales is convenient and nothing more

  • coolbritannia #14 1 year ago

    They should make it the big cat edition, and put a lion on the cover. A lion would never cheat on their wife, but a Tiger Wood. He's a cheetah.

  • peterfll #15 1 year ago

    Are you sure you're not backing up there Peter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIoG4PlEPtY ?

  • X3Entente #16 1 year ago

    tiger woods had sex with women who were not his wife lol

  • Katanax #17 1 year ago

    @coolbritannia: Simply stunning. +1!

  • Bealsy #18 1 year ago

    They're holding his photo back for their EA Sports:BIG title -

    Tiger Woods: King of swingers

  • paulf #19 1 year ago

    the last version didnt sell, not because of tigers shagging but because its the same game as the one before and the one before that, they are better off going along the lines of tiger woods online

  • darkmorgado #20 1 year ago

    New edition allows you to drunkenly crash your car into a lamp-post outside your house in a minigame. There's also an "I'm really sorry " QTE. Also, whenever you do badly in a tournament you get the option to throw your club in the air in exasperation (with an aftertouch mechanic where you get bonus points for hitting a journalist).

  • TitusCrow #21 1 year ago

    Anyone with a ps3 does not need to subscribe to the re-heated garbage that EA pump out every year as the "best golf game" - get Everybody's Golf: World Tour it has cartoonish graphics but plays a far better game of gold than tiger woods ever did.

  • beep #22 1 year ago

    I would prefer games to not feature the name of any single player. Give me plain old PGA Tour 12, thank you very much...

  • Reaver_v1 #23 1 year ago

    EA Sports Masters looks like a good new entry this year. Shame they put Tiger Woods name underneath... that cheating scumbag.

    Lets face it, no one cares how many holes he played last year (both on and off the course), the game has already used his name to become the biggest golf simulation around and only disapproving housewives and mothers are going to be bothered by their husbands or children playing his game. As far as I see it, at least they're in playing a golf game instead of out replicating his recreational activities.

  • agparrot #24 1 year ago

    They should just go Leisure Suit Larry on it, and call it Tiger's Wood.

  • sir_tripod #25 1 year ago

    no kinect support ? another missed opportunity then.

    I disagree. The camera on its own is too inaccurate to calculate precise swings and that's not just for drives but mainly when putting at low speeds via small movements. I can see a Wii-like peripheral which would do all of this as well as being able to monitor hooks and slices, position of the virtual club's head in relation to the ball and the like.

    I'd much prefer a properly thought-out version which has been tested rather than some half-arsed attempt which has been shoe-horned in at the last second and it's just unplayable.

  • kongzi #26 1 year ago

    Hahah silly americans, what would we do without them.
    "OMG he just had sex with multiple women, he's a hero." "No, he already was." "Really? Shit.. BOOOHH!! Fuck you tiger!"