Electronic Arts
Over the last few years, Electronic Arts has been hesitant about headlining their cover athlete for their annual golf game, “Tiger Woods PGA Tour.” After dancing around it by trying to highlight other aspects, such as the inclusion of a laser-scanned Augusta course, it seems EA has finally called it quits. Today, Mar 16, EA announced the next rendition as “Rory McIlroy PGA Tour.”
With a press release and a stunningly-beautiful teaser trailer, EA has officially re-branded and named a new cover athlete and namesake for their prized golf simulator franchise. Rory Mcllroy, a 4-time Major Champion, grabs the honor of launching the new wave of games on a new console.
“I’m very proud and humbled to see my face and name on EA SPORTS Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR. This is a great honor, and something I couldn't even dream of growing up playing the sport. I really hope people enjoy the game and I’m very glad I can be a part of it.”
Along with a name change, this game also marks the dawn of a new engine. “Rory McIlroy PGA Tour” will take full advantage of the Frostbite engine. The "gameplay" trailer really didn't offer much in the way of actual gameplay, however it did show off the incredible capabilities of the engine and gave us a glimpse at the quality of visuals we can expect. Other than just incredible looking environments, this also means fully render golf courses in one go. Now players won’t have to wait for load times between holes and players should also be able to play a shot from virtually any lie. There will be new game modes and features, although nothing has been announced yet.
Further details are planned to be announced this spring while the game is set for a June 2015 launch.