2K announced early this morning that they have reached an agreement with golf legend Tiger Woods in an exclusive deal to return to the video game landscape. The deal includes the acquisition of PGA Tour 2K21 and The Golf Club developer HB Studios Multimedia Ltd with financial details of the deal not being disclosed.
Woods’ partnership with 2K includes rights for his name and likeness to appear exclusively in PGA TOUR 2K video games. For the first time, Tiger Woods will also serve as Executive Director of games in addition to his role as consultant.
2K President David Ismaller spoke on the acquisition :
“In golf, there is no bigger icon than Tiger Woods. Like the rest of the world, we were saddened to hear of his recent accident, and we wish him a full and smooth recovery. We have been eager to announce our partnership with Tiger, whose legendary career has transcended the sport. We are thrilled to have him join our PGA TOUR 2K series as an Executive Director”.
Tiger Woods’ last partnership was with EA Sports, which ended after 10 years. EA rebranded under professional Rory McElroy, but the game never took off and a sequel was never announced. EA has announced recently that they would like to begin making golf games again as well. When this does happen, however, their original go-to in Tiger Woods won’t be making an appearance.
It will be interesting to see how this partnership plays out. For years, EA has owned the sports video game market with Madden, FIFA, NHL hockey and more. With 2K back in the game to go along with NBA 2K, it will lead to a much more competitive landscape.
