[GameSpot] - EA's PGA Tour Golf Game Will Feature The Masters And Augusta National, And That's A Big Deal

[343iBot]

EA Sports is reviving its PGA Tour golf series, and the company is making a big move by announcing the new game will feature The Masters. One of the most revered golf tournaments, The Masters has not been featured in a golf game since Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12.

EA on Wednesday announced what it's calling EA Sports PGA Tour: Road to the Masters, which sounds like the name of its next golf game. This will feature the Masters tournament and the Augusta National Golf Club. The game's cover has also been revealed, and it's lovely.

A cover unlike any other...@TheMasters exclusively in #EASPORTSPGATOUR pic.twitter.com/CETQAn8mAG

— EA SPORTS PGA TOUR (@EASPORTSPGATOUR) April 7, 2021

2011's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 was the first time in history that Augusta National was featured in a golf game. It's been absent since, and fans have called on it to return.

A new landing page for EA Sports PGA Tour also states that the new game will have all four Major events--The Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open, and The Open. EA says its game will be the only one to offer not only The Masters, but all four Majors.

These events will be featured in the new game's career mode, which will also include high-profile events such as The Players Championship and the FedExCup Playoffs. EA says it will announce more details about each Major event this summer.

"We're honored to partner with Augusta National, home of the Masters Tournament, to feature the course and its traditions exclusively in EA Sports PGA Tour," EA Sports boss Cam Weber said. "EA Sports is committed to growing the love of sports for everyone, and through our partnerships with the PGA Tour Augusta National and the other majors, we will bring new and longtime fans closer to the biggest events in golf than ever before."

EA also supplied a quote from 2020 Masters champion Dustin Johnson, who said, "I can't wait to see the beauty and unique traditions of the Masters in EA Sports PGA Tour."

EA says it worked closely with Augusta National to "meticulously" capture the golf course and its traditions for the new game. "EA Sports employed first of its kind aerial scanning to collect millions of data points, previously inaccessible in golf games, to recreate the unparalleled beauty of Augusta National authentically in the game," EA said.

The "Road to the Masters" sounds like it will be a campaign of sorts that includes not only the tournament itself, but "additional experiences" related to Augusta National.

EA Sports PGA Tour is developed by EA Tiburon, the same studio that makes Madden. A release date for the game, along with more details, will be revealed in the coming months. So far, no gameplay footage for the title has been announced. The game is in development for "next-gen" systems, which means PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

This announcement about The Masters comes during the week of the Masters tournament itself, which kicks off on Thursday and runs through Sunday.

EA Sports PGA Tour seemingly has the upper hand now as it competes against rival 2K's PGA Tour 2K series. The Masters and Augusta National will only be featured in EA's game. Additionally, EA said in its announcement of EA Sports PGA Tour that its game will allow players to compete "against and as some of the biggest names in professional golf."

PGA Tour 2K21 did feature real-life pros, such as Bryson DeChambeau and cover star Justin Thomas, but you could only compete against them and not play as them. It's possible this could change for the next PGA Tour 2K game, but that remains to be seen.

For what it's worth, neither EA nor 2K have shared a full list of pros and courses that will be available in their next releases, so it's too soon to make direct comparisons of the two. 2K did recently sign Tiger Woods to a new deal for the PGA Tour 2K series, but it remains to be seen if he will be a playable character.

EA was formerly in business with Woods for 10+ years with its Tiger Woods PGA Tour series. They later parted ways, with EA signing Rory McIlroy to a deal instead, but that was short-lived and the series was later put on hold. It's now coming back, which is exciting for fans, but also not entirely surprising. EA management had teased that it would release more sports games in the future, beginning with EA Sports College Football and now PGA Tour.

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