Konami has confirmed that it will not be renewing the licenses for Italian giants AC Milan and FC Internazionale Milano for future games in thePro Evolution Soccerseries. Despite this news, depictions of the two Italian clubs and their players ineFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020will not be affected.
The Japanese developer has stated that the clubs were strong advocates for thePESseries and has wished them all the best in the future. Acquired myClub players from the two clubs can still be used as normal in-game.
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Konami released two separate statements regarding the license losses, asking fans to wait for announcements regarding future games in thePESseries. It will be interesting to see if any new clubs will be licensed after Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Juventus signed partnerships with the game.
PES' main competitor is EA’sFIFA, to the point of acharity event being disrupted by this rivalry. It can be assumed that the licenses for AC Milan and Internazionale have been snapped up byFIFAon exclusive deals similar to Juventus' own exclusive agreement withPES.
Konami has historically had conflict with other companies, including the previous entry in thePESseries,Pro Evolution Soccer 2019,being replaced in the PS Plus lineup. It has even had issues with individuals, with Diego Maradona havingconsidered legal action against the Japanese developer.
In the meantime, fans ofPEScan enjoyfree DLC based around the rescheduled 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, including 55 licensed national teams and the official tournament ball. The rivalry betweenPESandFIFAlooks to heat up with the advent of the next generation of consoles, withEA announcing free next-gen upgradesforFIFA 21.
eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
