Konami, the Japanese entertainment company, will now have their Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) League World Tour 2018, the e-sports world championship that will determine the No. 1 PES 2018 player, be the official UEFA Champions League e-sports competition.
“We look forward to this season’s PES e-sports events and the opportunity it provides for gamers and viewers to further engage with the UEFA Championships League brand,” said UEFA Events SA Marketing Director, Guy-Laurent Epstein.
The PES LEAGUE WORLD TOUR is a grouping of online competitions that run from winter 2017 through the spring of 2018. The finals, which will occur next summer, feature the payers that have accumulated that most amount of points.
Konami has been working with UEFA to recreate the UEFA Champions League since 2009. In 2015, it was announced that Konami would be leaving the console game business, relying on its pachinko and mobile game markets.
Konami has done numerous deals with different soccer clubs and players around Europe to bring fan’s favorite teams and players to their finger tips. Some of the deals include partnerships with Inter Milan, Argentine Football Association, AC Milan, FC Barcelona’s Luis Suarez, David Beckham, Diego Maradona, Coutinho.
While most sports teams have partnered with FIFA for their e-sports experience, Konami and PES have jumped ahead of that pack, being the first to announce definitive league plans for the upcoming year. This partnership also rules out any chance of FIFA working with UEFA.
“I am delighted to be able to work with UEFA for this opportunity not only to bring an exciting experience for the participating players, but to also be able to provide Football fans from all over the world an opportunity to enjoy this competition first-hand at the physical events or through live streams,” Hideki Hayakawa, President of Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. said.