PES 2017 made its mark by having big partnerships with clubs like Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, and Liverpool, but this year that list is growing even further, which is something we spoke to Global Product and Brand Manager Adam Bhatti about when we caught up with him at Gamescom this year.
"Absolutely, so in terms of the teams and licenses the first thing I'll say is that our partnerships overall have risen," he said. "Here in Europe we've gone from three partnerships - we announced Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, and Liverpool last year - and we're adding five more. Two of them are Valencia and Fulham, who we've already announced, and three are a surprise, but they won't be too long before you guys know. We are aiming to announce all three partnerships before the game is released."
"In terms of licenses in general - much better this year. We've added some teams - I mentioned Valencia - we've added Porto to existing licenses we had in leagues, we have all the real player names and likenesses, but I think the big positive story is how we've gone to other European leagues and we've actually maxed out who we can get. So for example, for last year we would go to Greece and go to Turkey and get the top teams that qualify for the Champion's League. This year we've gone to Turkey, we've signed three teams; we've gone to Greece, we've signed four teams; Belgium, three teams. So now you've got an area in PES where [these] other European licenses is just a huge, huge list of teams now, and I think that is a positive thing, because it shows to people that we're trying, we're making an effort, and it's not just about waiting until these big deals and big licenses expire. We have to be seen to be progressing, we can't be going backwards, and that's our aim, and I think we've really delivered a positive story from a massive increase in partnership teams across the world, and these new licenses as well."
"So last year we launched with 30, this year we're launching with 36 stadiums. Camp Nou remains exclusive to PES. We've got around eight exclusive Brazilian stadiums. We've also added - you know when you watch the Champion's League and you see that stadium star ball? We've added that stadium to the game as well. So I think overall, positive story, and as you mentioned, yes, we haven't announced which ones, obviously we've got so many partnerships coming so we have to plan resources properly, but we will be adding more stadiums after launch as well."
Can this "positive story" of licenses ensure that PES' football experience stays among the best?