Ever since 2016, Konami and Barcelona have gone hand-in-hand. Today comes confirmation of renewal of that partnership, allowing the Barcelona name to continue in eFootball for another season.
It’s obvious that Konami would want Barcelona to continue being front and centre of their footballing affairs, with one of the world’s biggest super clubs having been present across Pro Evolution Soccer and into eFootball ever since the 2016-17 season. Continuing that through the 2023/24 season feels a no-brainer.
Continuing the trend
That partnership will now continues, as Konami place themselves as the Official Football Video Game Partner of the Catalan club. With Barcelona having picked up numerous trophies in the last seven years, and Konami having finally got a grip on the eFootball series – we think eFootball 2023 is miles better than the first eFootball PES 2020 edition – it feels about right that the partnership continues.
So what does this all mean? Well, it’ll give Konami the chance to continue their multiple rights with FC Barcelona, including gaining access to players, media opportunities and event exposure.
The love-in is real
Naoki Morita, Konami Digital Entertainment B.V.’s European President, commented: ‘It is very exciting to be announcing an extension to such a successful partnership. FC Barcelona are truly one of giants of world football, we are proud to have them as part of the eFootball series now and for the next few years thanks to this renewal. To have secured a bright future that will include a multitude of commercial, image, and esports rights and activations is fantastic for KONAMI and for the eFootball™ series. We endeavour to keep evolving our product to bring the best user experience possible’.
Juli Guiu, FC Barcelona Vice President for Marketing, added: “We are very pleased to renew our agreement with KONAMI, a company that over the years has always demonstrated its commitment to FC Barcelona. KONAMI is a benchmark in the video game sector and will help us to forge new synergies with young audiences and to continue to explore possibilities in the realm of digital entertainment, a key sector for the expansion of our brand in the coming years.”
Celebrate with Barcelona legends
You should expect to continue to find the Spotify Camp Nou sitting exclusively in eFootball, playable on Xbox, PlayStation, PC and mobile. As a free-to-play game, it just about does the job, although we do feel it’s a far cry from the heady heights of PES fame. And yes, we still look right back to PES 6 with fond memories.
If you are excited about the continuation of the Konami and Barcelona partnership, then you should look to mark the renewal in the best possible way. Players and fans alike can add some real power to their Dream Teams with the introduction of three FC Barcelona legends: Rivaldo, Patrick Kluivert, and Javier Saviola. These three Epic cards will be available in-game between 10th-17th August. Will you be looking to pick them up?
eFootball is playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, downloadable for free through the Xbox Store. You’ll also find it on other formats, like PlayStation, PC and mobile.
