By Christopher Powers
After going years without a PGA Tour golf video game, gamers will now have two options to choose from. An embarrassment of golf video-game riches, if you will.

On Monday, Electronic Arts announced that a new next-gen golf video game, EA Sports PGA Tour, is currently in development. The announcement comes six months after PGA Tour 2K21, developed by HB Studios, went on sale. Just two weeks ago, 2K announced it had signed a long-term exclusive partnership with Tiger Woods, as well as the acquisition of HB Studios.

Woods had previously partnered with EA Sports for 16 years, beginning in 1998. That partnership ended in 2014, and the following year Rory McIlroy took over as the game’s cover star. That wound up being the last golf video game EA Sports made.

Six years later, EA Sports is making its return to the golf video game world, with more details and a launch date expected to be announced in the coming weeks. In the game, fans can expect to experience the “sights, sounds, and thrills of the PGA Tour including The Players Championship, FedExCup Playoffs and more unforgettable events.”

In PGA Tour 2K21, fans could also play in The Players Championship, as well as the FedEx Cup playoffs and a number of other PGA Tour events. Though top tour players such as Justin Thomas, who graced the cover, Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay and Bryson DeChambeau were among the tour pros in the game, you could not play as them, only against them in a PGA Tour career mode.

In Monday’s announcement, EA said gamers will have the option to play “against and as some of the biggest names in professional golf,” which would be a key difference between it and 2K21. Of course, the next version of 2K could add the ability to play as the pros, especially with Woods in the game, but as of now it’s unclear if that will be a feature.

As of now, no courses or pros have been announced for the EA Sports PGA Tour game, though more details are expected in the coming weeks.

The post EA Sports announces new PGA Tour golf video game, hints at a key feature appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The tour announced on Monday an agreement with lesser-known developer HB Studios to produce the tour’s licensed video game starting in 2019. The game will be called “The Golf Club 2019,” keeping the name from the developer’s previous golf game “The Golf Club,” which included the ability to design your own golf courses. According to GameSpot.com, all existing Rory McIlroy PGA Tour games will be pulled off the shelves, but an EA Sports representative also told the gaming website: “We continue to have an ongoing relationship with the PGA Tour.” It’s unclear what that might mean for the future, but for the time being, the licensing agreements have not been renewed for a new game this year.

“The Golf Club 2019” game will be available in August on Playstation 4, XBOX One and on PCs and will feature a career mode, allowing players to go through the path to the PGA Tour—from Q-School, to the Web.com Tour, a 32-tournament season on the PGA Tour, and if you make it—the FedEx Cup playoffs. According to the release, only TPC-sanctioned courses are available to play in the game, which include TPC Sawgrass’ Players Stadium course, TPC Scottsdale (Stadium), TPC Boston, TPC Southwind, TPC Deere Run and TPC Summerlin. It appears that this deal does not include being able to use the likeness of players, which previous EA Sports games included, enabling users to play with some of the tour’s best players, including Tiger Woods, obviously.

It’s unclear what to make of EA Sports’ comment, saying that the relationship between the PGA Tour and the gaming giant has not ended, but perhaps there will be another EA Sports game down the road. With Tiger Woods back to playing a full tour season, we’d imagine another Tiger Woods game would be pretty appealing to all parties involved.

Here’s a preview video provided by HB Studios and the PGA Tour:

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