Konami’s ten-year exclusivity of the UEFA Champions League rights is coming to an finish.
The Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) collection, which has lengthy been the one soccer recreation the place a digital recreation of the Champions League may very well be made, will now not have the privilege.
More particularly, the deal will finish after the 2018 Champions League Championship concludes in May, which suggests PES 2019 – which has but to be introduced – won’t function the mode.
Longtime soccer followers will know that the one massive championship lacking from EA’s FIFA has certainly all the time been the UEFA Champions League. Over the years, PES’s presentation paled compared to FIFA’s, with the sport solely having a handful of real-world groups in comparison with EA’s fully-licensed leagues.
Because EA had rights to virtually every thing else, PES video games as a substitute relied on unofficial names just like the Manchester Red (for Manchester United) and so forth, whereas permitting unofficial possibility packs that modified the names and kits to their real-world counterparts.
Over the years, Konami managed to make particular person offers with massive groups like FC Barcelona, Liverpool and some others. But these are doubtless pricey, and solely served to focus on how missing the remainder of the sport’s providing is in comparison with EA’s FIFA.
“The UEFA Champions League licence has given us a platform to create unique experiences and provide football fans from all over the world with an opportunity to enjoy this competition first-hand,” mentioned Konami’s senior director of brand name and enterprise growth, Jonas Lygaard.
“This year, however, we will shift our focus into other areas. We will explore alternative ways UEFA and Konami can continue to work together, as our relationship remains strong.”
This information clearly doesn’t verify whether or not the 2019 competitors will seem in FIFA 19, although that’s doubtless. If EA merely outbid Konami on that one, anticipate the corporate to make an enormous deal of the get at its E3 2018 EA Play showcase.
Thanks, Eurogamer.
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