Will a soccer game by any other name be as sweet? People will see soon, since the Pro Evolution Soccer series is going from the well known PES, to eFootball: PES. Why? Well, Konami offered insight into the decision, which was influenced by the ever-growing esports scene.
Konami European Brand Manager Lennart Bobzien explained why PES won’t just be Pro Evolution Soccer anymore.
The full product name moving forward will be eFootball: PES. For this year we’ve announced eFootball PES 2020. We want to put a bigger focus on esports moving forward. In the past we’ve already shown [this] by having competitions such as PES League and eFootball Pro, the professional club competition. Moving forward, there will be bigger esports competitions coming up. We simply thought that by including it in the product naming, we’re making a statement and showing our community of fans, but also the wider audience, that esports will play a very big part moving forward.”
In other eFootball PES 2020 news, it was also recently announced that Konami had acquired exclusivity rights to the Italian football club, Juventus, which means we’ll see the Juventus name, uniforms, logo, and stadium in-game. Konami also announced a long-term deal with Manchester United in July 2019, meaning the company can use the past and present iconic players from the football club. This means we will start seeing players like David Beckham beginning with eFootball PES 2020. Old Trafford Stadium will appear too and supposedly be the “most faithful recreation” of the stadium to date in a video game.
What do you think of Konami’s decision to focus more on esports? Are you a fan of the new name? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
[Source: Fortress of Solitude]
