PES No Longer Has An Exclusive UEFA Champions League License

UEFA Champions League gaming rights have exclusively been with Konami for over ten years now but that exclusivity has now come to an end. Pro Evolution Soccer was the only football game which digitally recreated the Champions League but its no longer going to have exclusivity over this series.

The deal between the league and Konami is officially going to end after the 2018 Champions League finishes next month. What this means is that as a result of this exclusive license expiring later this year, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 won’t have the Champions League mode. The PES 2019 game hasn’t been announced as yet.

FIFA is certainly the soccer game of choice for fans of this sport but has not been able to offer the UEFA Champions League mode due to the exclusivity that Konami had. EA improved other aspects of FIFA, though, as it has other fully-licensed leagues and almost all international teams, so it offers much more than Pro Evolution Soccer.

Acknowledging that the Champions League brand gave Konami a platform to create new and unique experiences, the company’s senior director of brand and business development Jonas Lygaard has said that “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.”

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Gaming
Tags: konami, Pro Evolution Soccer