Electronic Arts has reclaimed the license to PGA Tour after losing it in 2018. Now that it’s reclaimed the license, however, pressure is higher for EA to deliver an outstanding gold game than in a long time. While players will ultimately decide if it hits the mark, EA is working to persuade golf fans thatEA Sports PGA Tourwill deliver. The latest example is the reveal of theEA Sports PGA Tourcover, featuring a nature-rich photo of the Augusta National clubhouse, as well as details regarding the PGA majors.
The box art for a game rarely says anything about what players can expect. That’s not untrue for theEA Sports PGA Tourbox art either, but there is a notable difference in tone between this year’s game and years past. All of the major golf games from EA have been branded with either Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy’s name since the 1990s, but this year’s game and box art doesn’t feature a celebrity, instead showing theAugusta National golf course. Showing the location of The Masters is, at the very least, a thematic and tonal shift for the franchise.
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To punctuate the reveal of the cover, EA also confirmed part of its licensing deal with the PGA Tour for this year’s game.EA Sports PGA Tourwill be the only game this year to feature the PGA Tour’s majors. All four of thePGA Tour’s majors, including the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, the US Open Championship, as well as The Open Championship, will be included in the game as exclusive content.
EA’s exclusivity agreement for the PGA Tour’s majors isn’t much of a surprise, of course.Sports licensingalmost always revolve around exclusivity for branding-related content. Still, the box-art reveal and announcement do coincide with the beginning of the Masters Tournament, which will run from April 8 and 11.
To be fair, there has been some confusion regarding the PGA Tour licensing. Namely, 2K acquiredThe Golf ClubandPGA Tour 2K21developer HB Studios just last month. It has also partnered with Tiger Woods for future golf game branding. But the question remains as to whether 2K’s next golf game will have anything to do with the PGA Tour going forward.
EA has its own business to worry about, of course. EA hasn’t produced a golf game since 2015, after all, and to say thatRory McIlroy’s PGA Tourwas poorly received would be an understatement. Dev studio EA Tiburon has a lot of pressure on it and a track record that’s worrisome. Hopefully,EA Sports PGA Tourisn’t just a golf game relying on its licensing.
