• by Aaron Baar , April 6, 2010

EA Sports will not have a presence during television coverage of the Masters tournament. Instead, the company will rely more on online strategies, such as tapping into its sizable registered-gamer database, and using search marketing and social media (including Facebook Connect for virtual golfers to tout their scores). EA Sports is venturing into the realm of online gaming with a new offering debuting this week -- Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online.

The game, which can be played via any Internet browser, will allow gamers and golf enthusiasts to play virtual golf from anywhere they can use their computers, requiring no game installation, no discs and no peripherals. According to the company, the launch of a notable title in an easily accessed format represents a shift in the way consumers will access video games for years to come.

"It's authentic golf, just like the console games are," Craig Evans, marketing director for the game, tells Marketing Daily. "It's our biggest step into [web-based social gaming]. We've got some other games in the pipeline."

EA Sports will offer consumers three tiers of experience, including a free option that allows access to featured courses. Gamers wishing more can purchase either monthly or annual memberships (priced at $9.99 and $59.99, respectively) to get access to other features.

The game will also employ a system through which consumers can purchase points to be used on in-game transactions such as rounds of golf and pro-shop items. The different pricing tiers and points system are intended to give consumers more flexibility in how they play, Evans says.

The game has been in private and public beta testing for nearly a year, but it officially launches this week in conjunction with the Masters Tournament and Tiger Woods' return to the tour. Although EA Sports (one of a handful of sponsors to remain with Woods after his scandal last Thanksgiving) did not time the launch specifically to Woods' return, the timing is not entirely coincidental.

"Anytime Tiger is out there talking and out there playing, we see an uptick in interest," Evans says.

However, EA Sports will not have a presence during television coverage of the Masters tournament. Instead, the company will rely more on online strategies, such as tapping into its sizable registered-gamer database, and using search marketing and social media (including Facebook Connect for virtual golfers to tout their scores).

"We feel one of the best ways to connect with consumers is when they're already online," Evans says.