2K, a publisher known within sports gaming circles for their NBA 2K and WWE 2K series, has been expanding its sports title lineup recently. Just last month, they announced a partnership with Mad Dog Games and Saber Interactive to publish NBA Playgrounds 2 this fall as NBA 2K Playgrounds 2.Today, 2K revealed that they have partnered with PGA Tour and developer HB Studios to publish The Golf Club 2019, which is out today.
This partnership did not result in a name change or delay. That being said, 2K is ensuring that The Golf Club 2019 will receive a physical release on PS4 and Xbox One this fall, and will publish future entries within the series. Greg Thomas, President of 2K subsidiary Visual Concepts, discussed why 2K decided to jump on board as publisher for The Golf Club 2o19:
“HB Studios has an established and impressive track record in sports simulation game development, and from its early plans for The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA Tour, we saw significant potential in both the game and future of the franchise. With a solid foundation and talented team in place, we’re eager to leverage our collective strengths and make a notable impact for golf and simulation sports enthusiasts everywhere.”
For those of you that are curious, this year’s The Golf Club entry brings some interesting changes and improvements to the table. In addition to the typical physics and graphical enhancements, developer HB Studios was able to officially partner with PGA Tour and snag their license for The Golf Club 2019. With 2K on board for future entries, it’s probably pretty likely PGA Tour will also stay partnered in the future. PGA Tour’s CLO and Executive Vice President Licensing Len Brown seemed pretty enthusiastic about the whole situation in his own comment:
“We are thrilled to have partnered with HB Studios and 2K to create and distribute the first-ever tournament play mode within a console game, featuring some of the most recognized PGA Tour events including The Players Championship. The career mode will allow our fans to rise through the ranks and earn their way onto the PGA Tour, where they will compete on authentic Tour courses.”
HB Studios also highlighted the fact that The Golf Club 2019 features the best online features in the series yet, including simpler and smoother matchmaking and the added ability to create private matches. CEO of HB Studios Alan Bunker also talked about the whole situation, and is elated about the 2K partnership:
“I’m immensely proud of all the hard work and passion that our team has put into making this game. It’s truly been a labor of love, and I think that’s reflected in the product. We couldn’t be happier to align with 2K and the PGA Tour to share our passion for golf and sports simulation gameplay with franchise enthusiasts and newcomers worldwide.”
This is certainly an interesting addition to 2K Sports’ lineup, which seems like it will be more robust in fall 2018 than it has been for years. The Golf Club 2019 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and you can expect the game to release physically for consoles this fall.