PES 2021: 6 Early Rumours You Need To Know
5. New Licensing Deals
Licensing has always been an issue surrounding the PES series. Its detractors have been quick to make jokes about whether or not Lionel Messi could cut it on a cold, rainy night against The Potteries. Andy Gray jokes aside, a dedicated and supremely skilled modding community kept PES mostly up to date with a host of patches and Option Files.
In recent years, PES managed to pull off a few licensing coups, landing deals with UEFA for its Champions League, Europa League, Super Cup, and Euro licenses, as well as the Copa Libertadores. However, these successes were only temporary as EA captured all but the Euro 2021 license from Konami over the past 2 years.
Instead of stiffling Konami's efforts, it has forced them to think out of the box. Club deals might not be new to the Pro Evo series, but these deals have evolved in scope. Juventus signed an exclusive rights deal with Konami, with many big clubs signing on as "partners". This has gone a long way to fix some of the series' licensing woes.
The biggest licensing rumour for 2021 involves the signing of Real Madrid as a partner club. This would be a massive deal for Konami. While not an exclusive rights agreement like Juventus, it would definitely indicate a power shift in the football gaming landscape. If the biggest team in the world jumps onboard, there would be a big reason to take notice.