The Masters Not Having Big Impact on Reviews and Sales of Tiger 12

Largely perceived to be monumental addition to the Tiger Woods franchise, The Masters acted as the primary selling point for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12. Early reports are that sales are up but only marginally, with The Masters likely accounting for why, but still well below where they were prior to Tiger’s indiscretions. 

Was it all worth it though and will EA Sports be disappointed with the results? Without the financial details behind the deal with Augusta National Golf Club it is tough to determine that, but surprisingly the highly anticipated addition of The Masters resulted in only a slight bump to the Metacritic rating. This is a number that companies take seriously and use to evaluate the quality of a title and their marketing efforts. The 360 version is up just a single point from Tiger 11, while the PS3 received a four point boost though much of that would be attributed to having the exclusive collector’s edition.

Tiger Woods 12 was developed on a short cycle in order to get the game into stores prior to The Masters taking place but the game still was able to add significant features beyond that such as the caddies, TV presentation style, and improved career mode. The entire package seems to have reestablished credibility and stability with the franchise. That might be enough alone to be considered a success for EA. Word of mouth is much stronger than years past though it does seem to get penalized for the excessive downloadable content.

The excitement surrounding this year’s tournament and thrilling conclusion could help boost sales now and in future iterations. Speaking for myself there was greater interest in watching on TV having played the course in the game. That could go both ways now, building off the momentum that seems to have been produced despite TV ratings that were down slightly. Tiger Woods’ charge on the final day may have been the first step in him retaining the franchise under his name as well but as previously discussed he will need to start winning to hang onto the endorsement.