For those of you who may not know, golf star Tiger Woods has been caught up in a scandal after a bizarre November 27, 2009 car accident revealed a string of mistresses. Several sponsors dropped Woods within weeks of the incident, however, EA Sports stuck by him.
Today, EA Sports headman Peter Moore spoke out on his blog about the Woods scandal and EA Sports' continuing work on Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online:
Our relationship with Tiger has always been rooted in golf. We didn't form a relationship with him so that he could act as an arm's length endorser. Far from it. We chose to partner with Tiger in 1997 because we saw him as the world's best, most talented and exciting golfer. We struck that partnership with the assumption that he would remain near or at the top of his sport for years to come.
By his own admission, he's made some mistakes off the course. But regardless of what's happening in his personal life, and regardless of his decision to take a personal leave from the sport, Tiger Woods is still one of the greatest athletes in history. At EA SPORTS, we make authentic sports simulations. When we say 'It's in the Game', it is not just a tag line but a statement about the quality and authenticity of the game experience. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online is truly representative of that rallying cry, and a game that all of us at EA SPORTS are proud to be delivering this month to sports fans around the globe.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online is currently in closed beta with over 75,000 players participating in the beta process, according to Moore. The game is expected to go into open beta later this month.
