The extra development cycles gained, meanwhile, can be used to create a single game with potentially revolutionary changes to graphics, interface, social features, and play modes that will (hopefully) enjoy much better performance in stores as a result. If that’s the case, EA’s decision to skip a year of production makes good business sense.ĭoing so will save on the production costs of creating two separate games with minimal, evolutionary change and avoid poor sales for both. Fans, it seems, are adjusting their buying behaviour from annual to once every two or three years, hoping in doing so the next Tiger Woods PGA Tour game they buy will be noticeably different than the last. It’s not a stretch to assume the series’ dearth of significant innovation from one year to the next has had something to do with its decrease in popularity. A few new courses, tweaks to swing mechanics, and (disappointing) new modes aside, it’s very much the same game as the one that preceded it. I pointed out in my review of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 that while it delivered a deep and nuanced experience loaded with modes and customization options, it’s not meaningfully different than the previous year’s game. Woods’ dogged climb back up the World Golf Rankings.īut the real problem – or at least part of it – may have more to do with consumers having caught on that golf games are less in need of yearly updates than other sports series, which have to refresh team rosters, uniforms, and statistics, as well as create models and motion capture animations for dozens of new athletes with each new season.
TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 2014 PROFESSIONAL
The series’ decline has coincided with Tiger Woods’ personal and professional troubles, which began in 2009.
Some blame might be placed on the waning popularity of the franchise’s titular athlete. The just-released Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 has apparently sold around 150,000 copies to date. Compare that to last year’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13, which sold fewer than a million. Unit sales have dropped every year since 2008 – when Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 sold well over three million copies across all platforms.
TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 2014 SERIES
EAĪccording to data gleaned from video game sales tracking website VGChartz, EA’s golf simulation series has been steadily declining in popularity for years. However, if one of EA Sports’ franchises was going to take a hit, it makes sense that it would be Tiger Woods PGA Tour. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. After all, this is the label that produces the FIFA Soccer games, which sell well over 10 million copies per year, as well as the Madden NFL series, which reliably moves in excess of five million units each summer. What’s more, EA chief executive John Riccitiello abruptly announced his departure from the company in March after a string of disappointing financial results.Ĭonventional wisdom has long held that EA Sports – among EA’s most enduring and profitable brands – would be largely immune to any serious cuts. It comes only days after word leaked that the company would be downsizing its workforce by as much as 10%. These cuts apparently include the shuttering of west coast Canadian subsidiaries PopCap Vancouver and Quicklime Studios, and came after an apparent staff reduction at EA’s Montreal studio earlier in April The Kotaku report is just the latest in a string of less-than-rosy news stories about the American game giant. With the recent launch of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 and the positive response, we remain focused on making improvements and providing a great experience to our golf fans.” “We do not comment on rumors or speculation.
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