EA may be cool with Tiger Woods using that five wood to knock his balls into every patch of grass he can, but there's one thing it can't put up with forever: a loser. Speaking at the Reuters Global Media Summit, EA CEO John Riccitiello said that what he was expressing wasn't a "threat" against Woods, but that the company has the athlete's name on the game because of his standing in the sport.
Riccitiello explained the company has no plans to drop Woods, but it's a business relationship based on the publisher and the athlete bringing their "best." He expressed, "Both of those things need to be true in the long run for the partnership to make sense."
Woods hasn't won a tournament and has dropped in rank since his personal proclivities became very public last year. EA made good on sticking by the golfer, even as other corporations walked off the green. Riccitiello says the company is willing to give Woods the opportunity to turn it around "for a period of time." The executive now keeps a standard alarm clock and a "Tiger Woods patience timer" by his bedside.
"She's a bad mamma jamma" could take on a whole new meaning for the cast of the latest Kevin Butler PlayStation Move advertisement. Woods' game looks like it might lead this household to domestic violence! How many homes must you divide, Tiger? Answer us! How many?
#clips
A title update now live on the PlayStation Network adds PlayStation Move support to a sports game where motion controls make the most sense: golf, specifically Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11. More »
Unsurprisingly, EA Sports president Peter Moore agrees that sales of Tiger Woods 2011 were "disappointing, in particular on the Wii, " but believes there's hope for the title yet. Moore told Eurogamer that the game will be "well represented as part of the Move launch," and that the upcoming Ryder Cup during the first week of October (and seen in the franchise for the first time this year) will bring it back into the spotlight to tack on some extra numbers. As for whether the golfer's well-publicized personal problems may have affected the video game franchise, Moore says that's a "consumer call," and reiterates EA's support of the star.
Moore also talked a bit about the much-reviled Online Pass system, saying that 60 to 70 percent of players have accessed the Online Pass content so far, without going into detail about how many used codes or paid outright. Finally, he believes that we're currently in a mid-cycle market in terms of console sales. Prices are still too high -- especially when you include the Kinect and Move hardware -- he says, to reach the video game console sweet spot of "$199 or below." Until we get there, Moore is convinced, "We're nowhere near mass-market pricing."
During EA's Q1 financial conference call, COO John Schappert discussed the success of the company's "Online Pass" initiative. According to Schappert, early results from NCAA Football 11 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 indicated that "sixty percent to seventy percent of online connected users" have redeemed a code for Online Pass. He noted further that "the level of online play is up" over last year, as is revenue from paid downloadable content.
When asked how Online Pass has impacted used game sales, Schappert noted that it's "too early to tell" but that EA is "encouraged by" the number of people playing online, and that the "extra gift" offered by Online Pass is "driving some of that adoption."
EA announced its Online Pass program earlier this year -- bundling a code with new copies of NCA Football 11 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 -- which allows access to online features like multiplayer (among other things). Those who choose to buy used copies of the games can purchase an Online Pass for an additional $10. The Online Pass program operates as part of "Project Ten Dollar," created to stop losses generated by the used game industry. Based on the numbers touted by Schappert, as well as those reported by EA for the quarter, the strategy just might be working.
The Xbox 360 forecast is absolutely droughtful this week at retail, with the Clash of the Titans theater DVD release tie-in drying up store shelves. Thankfully, the Xbox Live Marketplace is overflowing with new content this week, including today's release of the new Madden demo.
Additionally, DLC for a pool of recent releases -- Alan Wake, Lost Planet 2 and Transformers, to name a few -- flowed out today, and the "Summer of Arcade" shines on tomorrow with Hydro ThunderHurricane. (Did you read our review yet?) Finally, Borderands' trio of add-ons is on sale through Sunday.
Check out complete details of the week's XBLM content after the break.
#golf
Electronic Arts was one of the few major brands not to run from Tiger Woods during the golfer's embarrassingly public sex scandal this winter, but that loyalty hasn't paid off, frets one analyst. More »
The NPD figures for June show that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 didn't have a debut comparable to the previous year's game. In fact, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 only managed to unload 32% of the copies sold during Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10's initial launch month, Venturebeat offers. We contacted the NPD, who told us the same thing: "The new Tiger Woods release sold only 32 percent of what last year's release sold in its introductory month at retail. That said, last year's game saw a huge sales increase over previous versions, but still, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 did not break into the top 10 games for the month."
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is Tiger's promiscuity -- a likely factor behind Tiger's waning popularity. But, EA's Rob Semsey contributed that the slowing Wii market and Tiger's performance on the course as of late are also contributors to the dip in sales. Now the real question is: with the drop in sales, will EA still stand by its man?
I've played a lot of golf games over the years, from the arcadey Hot Shots series to my all-time favorite, Links 2004. But I've never played anything quite like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11. For someone new to the series on Wii, its MotionPlus controls aren't just a revelation -- they're the only way I want to play golf games from now on.
Last year, Jimmy Fallon beat Tiger Woods at his own game — his own Wii game, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. Last night, Fallon, continued his winning streak against the fabulously attired Ian Poulter. How does he do it? More »
#clips
Tiger Woods remains a toxic title sponsor thanks to bad play and lingering punch lines from a scandal-plagued winter, but he's still got a game coming out next week. How to market it? I got it, bring in Mike Ditka! More »
Check out more screens in our Flickr set
Product Description
Lead your team to glory with Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 11. Fight for honor, fight for country in the all new Ryder Cup Challenge on The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales; home to the 2010 Ryder Cup. Play like a pro with fully enhanced swing mechanics with [...]
Attention, virtual linksmen: A demo for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. This trial version offers players a chance to experience "a fully customizable Ryder Cup match that includes three holes on Celtic Manor Resort." In addition to the Celtic Resort holes, players can also try out three holes of the Liberty National course.
The demo also has a unique feature, allowing players to earn in-game experience points by sharing the demo with friends. Using the "console messaging system" to share the demo, players will earn XP for each friend that downloads it. This XP can then be used to upgrade golfer stats in the retail version of the game that launches next month. Just make sure you buy the game new if you want to make the most of that XP online.
Xbox.com: Add Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 demo to your Xbox 360 download queue
#easports
Publisher EA is extending its "Project Ten Dollar" scheme to make buying used copies of EA Sports games a bad idea. Don't expect to play your EA Sports games online without the "Online Pass" included in new copies. More »
EA just announced the next step of its "Project Ten Dollar" initiative, one that's likely to affect a lot of people much more deeply than the allure of some extra DLC. Starting with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, out June 8, EA Sports games for PS3 and Xbox 360 will include a title-specific "Online Pass" that enables access to "online services, features, and bonus content." If the code has already been redeemed (i.e. if you bought the game used) additional Online Passes will be available for (you guessed it!) ten dollars. Each game will include a seven-day free trial.
The online services under the Online Pass vary by game, but an EA rep told us they can include basic online multiplayer, as well as group/league features, roster and playbook updates, downloads of user-created content (like Photo Game Faces) and tournament support.
We'd think GameStop would be most upset about this plan, given that it's basically the destination for trade-ins of last year's sports games toward the new model, but CEO Dan DeMatteo offers a cheerful quote in the announcement. "GameStop is excited to partner with such a forward-thinking publisher as Electronic Arts," DeMatteo said. "This relationship allows us to capitalize on our investments to market and sell downloadable content online, as well as through our network of stores worldwide."
