It feels like some time since we got a good golf sim, with those cosy green lawns, neat slacks, and the thwack of pocked white balls, but it looks like we may have to wait a while longer as an officially licensed golf game has been delayed. EA Sports' next PGA Tour title has been pushed back, with the publisher confirming that the game is now scheduled to release sometime in spring 2023. The game was originally scheduled to launch this spring, so a full year's delay is a substantial pushback. EA did not give an explanation for the year's slip, nor did it share which platforms the "next gen" resurrection of this famed golfing title would appear on. “There are few things in sports that match the thrill of winning a major championship, and we’re excited to bring all four majors – the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, US Open Championship, and The Open Championship – and a true next-gen championship golf experience to fans next year,” EA Sports boss Cam Weber said, in a statement that came with the bad news.
EA Sports has been without a golf game since 2015's Rory McIlroy's PGA Tour. The upcoming next-gen title is to use Dice's proprietary Frostbite engine, and will feature exclusive courses such as the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. As well as the PGA Tour, the game will include LPGA players and tournaments so male and female golfers will both be represented.
Those looking to tee up virtually this year meanwhile may have the chance with 2K's rival golf game: PGA Tour 2K. Fans may know that Tiger Woods is set to join 2K's series while the developer has said its upcoming title will be "bigger and better". Unfortunately, confirmed details about the next entry in the PGA Tour 2K series has been pretty thin, so it remains to be seen if PGA Tour 2K(22) will definitely show up in 2022.