HB Studios, formed in 2000 by Jeremy Wellard, is one of the hottest new studios in Canada. They are raising the bar on accessibility within golf gaming with their recent release of “PGA Tour 2K25.” The studio now has about 140 people working either remotely or out of its Lunenburg home – many of whom are former AAA developers. Most importantly, they’re determined to offer an inclusive gaming experience for more casual players and lapsed gamers.
PGA Tour 2K25 features these exciting additions and more, all powered by HB Studios’ industry-leading commitment to perfecting gameplay. The studio has tried pretty hard to make the game more forgiving, giving players the chance to hone their skills at their own pace. The studio pushes the creative envelope, with 18 years’ of experience developing the PGA Tour franchise. This new edition does so much more by tapping deeply into that expertise.
The production team dedicated a significant amount of time to creating in-depth tutorials to help introduce “PGA Tour 2K25” players. The tutorials serve as a guided path for players, ensuring they can learn the intricacies of the game without feeling overwhelmed.
“We put a lot of time and consideration into our tutorials … We hope that the kind of guided path that we’re offering the players is the right first step,” said Josh Muise, a prominent member of the development team. “But if you want to get things a little bit spicy, by all means, we give you that option as well.”
Beyond the tutorials, HB Studios implemented a rather brilliant new dynamic difficulty system. The perfect swing substitute Their replacement of the bottom difficulty tier is the “Perfect Swing.” This exciting addition streamlines the mechanics so players can focus on mastering the core elements of play. This change is meant to make the experience more rewarding by cutting down on the complexity during those first few turns.
“What we were looking to do with that difficulty setting was take a lot of the secondary inputs and nuance out of it and just really focus on moving the stick up and down to find a rewarding experience much more quickly and often for players,” Muise explained.
The development studio has been driving to break down barriers in golf gaming for all to enjoy. Its incredibly thoughtful design philosophy nudges players to begin on a simpler course, and then continue down even more challenging tracks as their confidence grows.
“Like golf itself, you can always start on the easiest setting and then build up over time,” Muise added.
HB Studios understands the difficulty of converting the nuances of professional golf into a digital experience.
“We fully understand the responsibility on our shoulders, of golf being a complex and difficult sport to master in real life,” Muise stated.
The leadership team is an incredibly diverse group of people who are working hard to make sure the game is reflective of everyone involved. This diversity of perspectives fuels the innovation and creativity that powers STOSS’s studio.
“We’ve got this kind of unique collection of individuals who are able to kind or represent all sides of (the game) at least we hope,” Muise remarked.
The work to make the game more accessible goes beyond just gameplay mechanics. It’s part of the guiding philosophy within HB Studios. At the start of playtesting, the company felt it was important to give players an overall fun experience immediately.
“The pick up and play, finding fun right away, that’s really what we’re looking to do,” Muise concluded.
HB Studios is getting ready for the release of their latest title, “PGA Tour 2K25.” Along the way they are committed to pioneering changes to the world of golf gaming. The studio is looking to make their players have more fun. Simultaneously, it creates a doggedly loyal community in its sport’s adherents. HB Studios’ commitment to accessibility and player empowerment is a political agenda. Because of this, they are poised to create something very special that will help shape the future of the golf video game landscape.
