EA Sports and the FIFA franchise have been dealt another major blow after Konami announced an exclusive PES deal with Napoli from July 1.
The partnership was confirmed on Wednesday and means Napoli will only be playable in PES in the 2022/23 season.
The Neapolitan outfit will be in FIFA 22 as normal but will not be licensed in various game modes in FIFA 23 the following year and beyond.
Through the long-term collaboration, Napoli will also have a new gaming area for players and guests.
We are delighted to announce @sscnapoli as our latest Partner Club! The official partnership will commence from the start of the 2021/22 season, with the license becoming exclusive to the eFootball PES series from 2022/23!
Partnership Trailer: https://t.co/N8NgqbAYSs pic.twitter.com/nf1IC53AlP
- eFootball PES (@officialpes) April 28, 2021
Long term deal:white_check_mark:
Napoli's partnership will Start on 1st July with a new "SSC Napoli KONAMI Training Center" which will include a brand new gaming area for players and guests.:white_check_mark:
Exclusivity doesn't start until 2022/23 Season, so FIFA will have the license for one more year:white_check_mark: https://t.co/uer5DsLNOW
- Cam (@ItsCamaldinho) April 28, 2021
Commenting on the news, Serena Salvione, Chief International Development Officer for Napoli, said: "We are delighted to launch this exclusive partnership with an innovative, international brand such as KONAMI to create content and unique experiences for Napoli fans. KONAMI has further tied its name to the Napoli brand by acquiring the naming rights to the training ground.
"This partnership is the latest step in the wider drive towards internationalisation of the Napoli brand that the club has been working on in recent years."
That acquisition of Napoli's likeness follows up PES exclusive deals with fellow Italian giants Juventus and AS Roma in recent times.
The pair are now without their official kits, badges and stadiums in FIFA and are known as 'Piemonte Calcio' and 'Roma FC' - which has put off plenty of gamers from playing with them.
Topics: Football, PES, EA Sports, FIFA 22
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