Konami have recently announced their new partnership with Borussia Dortmund for their upcoming PES titles. PES 2017 is just the first.
This is exciting news, particularly for Dortmund fans. PES will enjoy “unrivalled access” to the Liverpool first team players, which will help them to replicate the players’ unique appearances and playing styles. The sights and sounds of the Signal Iduna Park will all be recreated, from the pitch to anthems coming from the stands.
This partnership also means that Dortmund players will feature in PES promotional material as well. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Shinji Kagawa will be making a special appearance at the KONAMI booth in hall 8.1 on August 18. This news is especially interesting, as PES’s main rival FIFA has already announced Dortmund player Marco Reus as the cover star for their game. This means we’re going to see a saturation of yellow and black in football sim promotional material for the years to come.
Personally I like the strategy PES is going for by locking up Dortmund. Dortmund have proved to be a popular alternative to main rivals Bayern Munich in recent years, especially amongst neutrals. Perhaps PES is trying to position themselves as a cool alternative too.
An added little bonus for players of the myClub game mode is that Dortmund legends will be available to add to their home-grown squads. Unfortunately, full details are yet to be released.
PES 2017 will be released September 13 for North and South America, and September 15 for Europe and Asia.
