The latest installment in the popular Pro Evolution Soccer franchise is on its way, and it could look pretty different this year.
The latest installment in the popular Pro Evolution Soccer franchise is on its way, and it could look pretty different this year.
According to a now-deleted listing on the Hong Kong Playstation store, Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 will include “authentic leagues” and a “huge addition of licensed leagues.”
While competitor FIFA has always had a laundry list of official club logos and strips, PES has generally used fake club names like London FC for Chelsea and Man Red for Manchester United. The game has had licenses for individual teams, like Liverpool, Barcelona, and Arsenal, as well as a long-term agreement with UEFA to include assets from the Champions League in the game.
That agreement with UEFA, which has been part of the game since PES 2009, will come to an end this year however. Perhaps that issue is what led to Konami’s renewed effort to include licensed teams and leagues in the game for this year.
Don’t expect to see a fully licensed Premier League in the game—EA Sports is entering the final year of a three-year $85 million partnership with the league.
The leak also gave an indication of a potential release date for the game—Aug. 30. That would be the earliest release since 2005’s Pro Evolution Soccer 5, and two weeks earlier than last year. FIFA 19 doesn’t have a release date yet, but previous FIFA games have been released in the last or second-last week of September.
FIFA 18 has sold over 14 million copies worldwide according to vgchartz.com, and was released on the Nintendo Switch in September. PES 2018 has sold a fraction of that, and has a much more niche appeal.
H/T Eurogamer
