EA Sports will release the next version of its popular Tiger Woods console video game in June, regardless of the controversy surrounding the star golfer and decline in popularity after his well-publicised adultery scandal this past November, according to a report from Reuters.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will be available for the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and Sony PlayStation 3. In addition, to the delight of mobile users, the game will also tee off on the Apple iPhone. This is the 12th game to be released bearing the golfers name since Electronic Arts signed a deal with Woods in 1997.
EA Sports President Peter Moore said earlier this month that "[we] didn"t form a relationship with him so that he could act as an arm"s length endorser. [...] Regardless of what"s happening in his personal life [...] Tiger Woods is still one of the greatest athletes in history."
Several companies who have sponsored Woods in the past, including heavy-hitters like AT&T, Accenture, and Gatorade have distanced themselves from the golfer since allegations regarding his personal affairs hit the airwaves last November.
Woods is estimated to have earned around $100 million a year in endorsements before his troubles began, which he claimed as “infidelity” in a release on December 11. He announced that he would take an indefinite break from his golfing career to save his marriage to Swedish wife Elin Nordegren.