Once regarded as the face of golfing video games, it was revealed today thatTiger Woodswill be returning to the medium in the near future, with 2K announcing that the star has signed an exclusive deal to feature in upcomingPGA Tour 2Kgames. The agreement was unveiled via the franchise’s official Twitter account, which posted a celebratory video hyping up the return of the legendary golfing mainstay.
The deal will allegedly see Woods' exclusively star in 2K published products, with the company confirming that he’ll feature in thePGA Tour 2Kseriesas well as “other golfing games publishing by 2K during the partnership.” In a press release sent to several gaming publications, it was also confirmed that the iconic golfer will feature as both an executive director and consultant for thePGA Tourfranchise, while 2K will be partnering with the Woods' TGR Foundation to help students pursue their academic passions.
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“I am looking forward to making my return to the video game landscape,” Woods claims in the release, stating that 2K is the perfect partner to facilitate his comeback. “[I] look forward to sharing my expertise and insights as we build the future of golf video games together.” It’s hardly a surprise to see 2K getting Woods involved once again, withPGA Tour’sreturn last year allegedly resulting in significant sales numbers. Considering one of the more significant criticisms withPGA Tour 2K21was the absence of playable pro golfing legends, Woods' return hopefully signals a new-found focus on bringing star power to the game.
Tiger Woods' video game legacy stretches back as far as the 90s, with the golfing megastar first gracing the cover of aPGA Tourgame in 1998. He remained the poster boy for the series until 2013, at which point a slate of controversies saw the star dropped from the franchise andreplaced with fellow golfing legend Rory McIlroy. McIlroy wasn’t in the spotlight for long, with the series going on an extended break between 2013 and 2020, at which point 2K rebooted the series withPGA Tour 2K21.It appears the publisher is doubling down on bringing back the golfing IP, getting the sport’s most recognizable star back onboard.
The series will seemingly re-enter 2K’s roster of annual franchises, which already includes theNBA 2KandWWE 2KIPs.NBA 2Kis a major annual moneymaker for the company, with its most recent release,NBA 2K21,dropping last year.WWE 2Khasn’t been quite as successful, withWWE 2K20being regarded as one of the worst games of 2019, forcing developerVisual Concepts to take a year off to work on the series' next mainline entry.
PGA Tour 2K21is available for PC, PS4, Stadia, Switch, and Xbox One.
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