Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online (Press Release)

[Steve_OS]

EA REVOLUTIONALIZES SPORTS GAMING WITH GROUND-
BREAKING TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR® ONLINE

Authentic Golf Simulation Streamed Directly to Your Browser

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., - May 29, 2009 – Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that EA Tiburon, the development studio of the best-selling* golf simulation Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® franchise, is introducing an innovative and ground-breaking new product - Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® Online. Available this fall, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online is an authentic golf simulation experience that is dynamically streamed to a web browser and requires no game installation, no disc, and no additional peripherals. This game is easily accessible and available anywhere, via a web browser and an internet connection.

“Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online is for anyone who loves golf and is on-the-go,” said Executive Producer Mike Taramykin. “Whether you have ten minutes on your PC in the office, or hours on your Mac at home, this is a golf game that makes time for you. With Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online, golf lovers can satisfy their golf fix anytime.”

Stuck at the airport waiting for a flight? If you have an internet connection, just open up your computer and fire up Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online! The game is literally just a click away and has high resolution 3D graphics, delivers a feature rich experience and will be regularly updated with new features.

At launch, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online will include several world class championship courses, such as Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass and St. Andrews, while additional new courses will be available on a regular basis. In addition, a fully stocked schedule of tournaments and multiple community features, allowing fans to connect and compete with friends, makes Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online a community for all golf fans. This community will help shape the game’s evolution, including features such as new course additions, pro shop items, and even tournament conditions.

Your time is at a premium and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online is designed to work around your schedule – suspend play and resume from the exact same point at a later time. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online will be the most accessible and feature-rich golf video game experience available on any personal computer.

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online will be offered through a multi-tiered subscription in fall of 2009.

For more information about Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online, go to www.tigerwoodsonline.com

[dave374]

This may have potential.

[baa7]

Quote: Originally Posted by dave374

This may have potential.

For the online crowd, sure. For those of us who were expecting an offline PC game, it pretty much stinks. And yes, it's been confirmed that TW 10 will not be released on disk, and neither will it be available for download.

[DivotMaker]

Quote: Originally Posted by baa7

For the online crowd, sure. For those of us who were expecting an offline PC game, it pretty much stinks. And yes, it's been confirmed that TW 10 will not be released on disk, and neither will it be available for download.

I think you can thank the overall poor PC Sports game market and pirates for this....and I don't know too many folks who don't have online access and/or play online games....

[baa7]

Quote: Originally Posted by DivotMaker

and I don't know too many folks who don't have online access and/or play online games....

That has nothing to do with my concern. I don't play online and never will. Like I said, great for the online crowd. Lucky them. But it stinks and it's disappointing for those of us who play offline. That said, I'm completely happy with TW 08 for the PC. It's a terrific game, and I can see myself playing that game for many more years if necessary.

[baa7]

Quote: Originally Posted by DivotMaker

I think you can thank the overall poor PC Sports game market and pirates for this.

I don't buy that. EA is obviously in ecstasy over the money they anticipate making by selling online content. I'd say their wet shorts had much more of an influence on their decision to make an online-only game, than excuses about game pirating. If game pirating was such an issue, developers would have completely stopped making games for the PC long ago.

[DivotMaker]

Quote: Originally Posted by baa7

I don't buy that. EA is obviously in ecstasy over the money they anticipate making by selling online content. I'd say their wet shorts had much more of an influence on their decision to make an online-only game, than excuses about game pirating. If game pirating was such an issue, developers would have completely stopped making games for the PC long ago.

Sorry you don't buy it. Facts are facts and this online method will prevent the mass pirating that has infected the PC Sports game market and PC game market in general. The economics DO NOT LIE...




SOURCE: NPD Data

I will also admit that EA did not treat the PC Sports game market with the same attention to detail and resources that they have with the recent 360/PS3 versions. They are now committed to the future of TW on the PC with this completely new approach to the game. Time will tell if they made the right choices....

[baa7]

Quote: Originally Posted by DivotMaker

The economics DO NOT LIE...

Interesting. But EA contributed to that dropoff in sales. The Course Architect and the ability to create and use custom courses used to be a huge drawing card for PC gamers. Yet EA made the Course Architect less-and-less user friendly each year, to the point where designers now have to jump through hoops to make a working course. They withheld architect tools available to EA's designers, and as a last slap in the face they removed the CA altogether, along with ability to use custom-designed courses in the game's Tour Mode. All of that contributed to the demise of the PC golfing community. Long-time designers gave up on the series over the past several years out of frustration, and others became fed up the inability to use custom-designed courses while playing Tour Mode.