EA to offer complete online Woods game around Masters

(Reuters) - Tiger Woods return to pro golf for the Masters tournament next month is being celebrated by more than fans as EA Sports will launch the final commercial version of its online golf game named after the world's top golfer that week, the company's president said on Wednesday.



March 17, 2010

Peter Moore said the Electronic Arts Inc unit had planned the launch of the browser-based game, now in beta testing where consumers play at no cost, at a time when golf be the top thing on the mind for many consumers.

"It's more than serendipity," Moore told Reuters at the IMG World Congress of Sports in Los Angeles.

"That's when people start thinking golf," he added. "It's the first major."

Woods said on Tuesday he would return to play at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, on April 8-11. Woods had taken a leave from the sport after an early-morning car accident near his home in Florida in November that led to him acknowledging marital infidelities. Last month, he apologized to fans and speculation had mounted as to when he would return to the sport.

EA Sports, along with Nike Inc, has been strong in its support of Woods despite the scandal. On the other hand, Accenture Plc, AT&T Inc and PepsiCo Inc's Gatorade all killed the sponsor deals, while other firms stopped using him in their marketing.

Before the scandal broke, Woods earned an estimated $100 million a year from his sponsorship deals.

Moore said the final version of the Woods' online game would be launched in conjunction with a mostly online advertising campaign. He said consumers have been playing more than 40,000 rounds a day of the test version of the game.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62G50T20100317?type=sportsNews

 

I'm really happy to see Tiger come back.

I'm definitely going to tune in when he plays in the Masters.