Activision announced today that it will be getting into the golf simulation business - not with a new addition to an already crowded genre, but with a seasoned veteran. Activision has purchased the rights to Jack Nicklaus golf from Accolade.

　　Activision has entered into a long-term agreement with Accolade that gives Activision the worldwide licensing and endorsement rights to the Jack Nicklaus golf series, which will let Activision develop Nicklaus games across all platforms. Activision also said it is in "the final stage of negotiations" with Hypnos Entertainment (developer of the not-yet-released Jack Nicklaus Online Golf Tour) that would see Hypnos create a Nicklaus PC game.

　　A long-standing and successful golf game from the San Jose-based publisher, Accolade's Jack Nicklaus series is well known among golf enthusiasts for its strong sim engine and course design editor. Hundreds, if not thousands, of user-created courses can be downloaded from the Internet and various BBSs.

　　The purchase came about when Hypnos Entertainment of Mountain View, Calif., developed Jack Nicklaus Online for Accolade. Hypnos was already familiar with the Jack Nicklaus engine, so using Hypnos as the developer for the next Jack game was an easy decision to make. Henk Hartong, director of marketing for Activision and a single-digit handicap golfer (and former captain of his college golf team), has had a strong interest in bringing a golf game to Activision. In the crowded golf sim marketplace, Hartong thinks "there is still an opportunity." Hartong says that Activision plans to make Jack Nicklaus golf more accessible to the casual computer golfer while still maintaining it's strong hard-core fan base.

　　Mike Franco, Jack Nicklaus golf's executive producer and a single-digit handicap golfer himself, will stay on in that role after he joins Hypnos. "I'm really excited to join their team," says Franco, who believes the next Jack game will naturally and more easily provide better integration between the stand-alone game and online play.

　　But why would Accolade sell such a strong title?

　　Accolade's executive vice president of sales and marketing, Stan Roach, spoke with GameSpot News just yesterday regarding the reasons why Accolade let Jack walk. GameSpot News: What made Accolade give up a long-running title like Jack Nicklaus golf?Stan Roach: Jim Barnett's quote in the press release really sums it up the best. "Our decision to exit the golf category has largely been due to a shift in corporate strategy. With the exception of our number one selling HardBall baseball series, our future titles will focus largely on top-selling action titles, such as the successful Test Drive, Test Drive: Off-Road, and Star Control franchises."

　　GSN: Is this an indication that Accolade is losing interest in the sports game business?SR: We are shifting our focus from sports to action because the action category is the largest and most successful category. In the case of baseball, however, we absolutely are not losing interest. The HardBall series is the number one selling baseball series on the PC. We remain very committed to the baseball category. In fact, we just shipped HardBall 6 for the PC and will be shipping HardBall 6 for the PlayStation this summer, both with our newly signed MLB license.

　　Accolade has released five Nicklaus golf titles since 1988.