Konami’s PES franchise has always lagged behind FIFA when it comes to licences and partnerships, with only one or two English teams normally being licensed. However, one club that will be licensed in PES 2018 will be Fulham FC thanks to an exclusive partnership signed between Konami and the football club.
Fulham FC is one of London’s oldest professional football clubs, having been founded in 1879, and currently play in England’s second tier, the Championship. This is the first time that a team outside of the Premier League in England has been fully licensed by Konami.
As part of the partnership, Konami will recreate every member of the Fulham squad into the game using their full body-scanning process. Fulham’s home and away kits, including the goalkeeper strip, will also be accurately recreated for PES 2018.
The partnership between Konami and Fulham isn’t just for the virtual pitch, however, with Konami now having a greater presence at Craven Cottage on match days thanks to the deal. For example, PES 2018 branding will feature on the back of Fulham’s home, away, third and goalkeeping kits in real life. Not only that, but it will also be the main sponsor of Fulham’s Youth Team kit. In fact, PES 2018 branding will be pretty much everywhere with ad boards advertising the game, as well as ball boy kits even giving the game a mention on match days.
“Fulham is a club with an enviable heritage and a very bright future,” said Jonas Lygaard, Senior Director – Brand & Business Development for Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. “It is a club that is on the cusp of very good things, with a policy that continues to nurture its youth prospects.”
“KONAMI is extremely happy to be working closely with such a progressive club. We will enjoy having prominent branding position on match-days, making full use of the Family Zone, and are proud to be presented on the front of the Youth Team’s kits, as well as a key sponsor to the first XI.”
PES 2018 releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on September 14th.
