PES 2017 signs Borussia Dortmund

With Pro Evolution Soccer 2017, Konami are launching a new licensing strategy, opting to offer something special that appeals to the best clubs and their fans instead of pushing large sums of money for the general licenses in an unwinnable battle against EA and FIFA.

This new manoeuvre was unveiled with great fanfare with the announcement of the premium agreement with FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou, and although other minor agreements such as Atletico Madrid and Arsenal were known, this week at Gamescom the company is showing off new clubs getting the special treatment in addition to what they call "the PES family."

Yesterday was Liverpool and today was Borussia Dortmund of the Bundesliga.

The German team becomes the new "top partner" implying a particularly detailed recreation of their players, their playing style and their stadium, the Signal Iduna Park, in a four-year deal.

"The Borussia Dortmund and its main stars will have a replica with a total fidelity in PES 2017 and in future editions of the series, both on consoles and mobile. (...) Konami recreate in detail the Signal Iduna Stadium Park and hymns and songs used before the game and fans of German club. Finally, through the scanning system faces recreate the face of all team members will be available to PES 2017 in an upcoming update free," Konami said of the deal.

To illustrate the agreement, players like Götze appear in the new trailer for PES 2017 Gamescom, and naturally all players appear in the game (including Marco Reus despite him being the cover star of FIFA 17).

But to further emphasise the collaboration, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Shinji Kagawa will be there on Thursday at the Konami booth in Cologne. The Gabonese and the Japanese midfielder appeared in new images of PES 2017 that illustrate this story.