PES Champions League – Konami to End UEFA Partnership

PES Champions League License

It appears the long running relationship between Konami and UEFA is coming to an end and therefore PES Champions League may be a thing of the past. The two have been partnered for 10 years and the partnership is expected to end following the final of this year’s Champions League. UEFA released the following statement:

The 2018 UEFA Champions League final in Kyiv will mark the end of a very successful and fruitful 10-year partnership between Konami and the UEFA Champions League.

The UEFA Champions League offered the perfect media and activation platform for Konami and has been a key feature within its world-renowned Pro Evolution Soccer video game.

Commenting on the end of this long-standing partnership, Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director of UEFA Events SA, said: “Konami has been a strong licensing partner for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, with our competition brand being heavily featured within the video game and as part of the popular Konami-organised UEFA Champions League e-sports tournaments’.

“It has been a very cooperative and mutually beneficial partnership. UEFA would like to thank Konami for its tremendous commitment and support to UEFA club competitions for the last decade and we look forward to continuing to work with Konami in the sphere of UEFA national team football.”

Jonas Lygaard, senior director of brand & business development for Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. said: “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.

“This year, however, we will shift our focus into other areas. We will continue to explore alternative ways UEFA and Konami can continue to work together, as our relationship remains strong.”

Is PES Champions League Finished?

Barring a massive change in plans or a reversal on the decision it would seem the Champions League in PES won’t be appearing in PES 2019. This would mark the first it hasn’t appeared since its initial introduction in PES 2009. Whether this decision was simply based on the cost to renew the license or whether Konami intend to go in a different strategic direction remains to be seen. Naturally a lot of video game fans have speculated the end of the partnership indicates that EA (FIFA 19) will be acquiring the license instead. Konami did offer the following statement to counter some of the negative responses this news has received:

On 18th April, 2018, UEFA made an announcement that our partnership with them will come to an end after the 2018 Champions League final in Kyiv. We would like to assure our fans this will not have any negative impact on our licensed players, club teams and other similar elements that are already implemented in our football related games.

Further details will be available on the product information page of our website in due course. KONAMI will continue to develop and publish football related games on various devices to offer users additional ways of enjoying our products. Thank you.

Fan Reaction to PES Champions League

Fan reaction to this news has been skeptical at best. For PES fans it is understandably disappointing for their game to lose its most lucrative license. However, it is worth remembering that this loss will in no way affect gameplay which has always been the main asset that PES has been revered for.

EA are poaching the Champions League licence from Konami, once again showing how weak Uefa’s Financial Fair Play laws are.

— Ex-CEO Kaz Hirai (@KazHiraiCEO) April 18, 2018

The license should be shared by both EA and Konami. That way I can get champions league in fifa but pes players don’t have to lose out on anything.

— Jarron Ridgley (@Jron_Isiah) April 20, 2018

So… PES just lost their Champions League licenses. Tbh I don’t care(because we can download patches) but I’m just afraid they lose credibility as a game because of fake names… etc. Although it’s not confirmed but EA might buy their license and MONOPOLIZE all of the right..zzz

— ꦯꦺꦲꦶꦏ꧀​ꦈꦩꦂ​ꦩꦸꦑ꧀ꦠꦂ (@skxmar) April 22, 2018

Sad to hear but the licences aren’t to big a deal for me especially as we can import then easily. Gameplay will still be better on PES.

— Liam (@LiamWC_97) April 18, 2018

The first Winning Eleven Arcade/PlayStation games didn’t have any partnerships and were really good. Sure, official licenses have their appeal & attract more fans but are also a huge expense that can be used to create a technically superior sports simulation game.

— CyberChaosCrew (@CyberChaosCrew) April 20, 2018

PES gameplay are still the best for football games but the lack innovation & breakthrough make it like this game just follow what the competitor did. Need a fresh idea i think ?

— ragey (@rageyholic) April 22, 2018

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