Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. will use this year’s UEFA Champions League Final in Milan to host the 2016 PES World Finals of the UEFA Champions League eSports event and showcase the next addition to the Pro Evolution Soccer Franchise, PES 2017, for the first time.
“Exclusive to Pro Evolution Soccer, it is fitting that we use the UEFA Champions League Final, the world’s greatest club competition, and the culmination of another hugely successful PES League season to reveal PES 2017,” said Tomotada Tashiro, President at Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. “As 32 of the world’s best PES players gather to compete, our commitment to reaching new heights of realism and fun will also be demonstrated. May 27th and 28th will be a celebration of all that is great about football – and the first showing of PES 2017 will elevate the series to a whole new level.”
The top PES players from around the world will head to Milan for a two-day competition across May 27th – 28th, where KONAMI will also debut an early version of PES 2017. With the previous two iterations securing the coveted gamescom ‘Best Sports Game’ accolade, KONAMI returns to the field with a game that builds on the strong on-field performance of its predecessors and with a detailed focus on control and reproducing the skills and possibilities afforded in a top-flight match.
KONAMI’s ground-breaking FOX Engine again delivers the power for a game set to hit new heights with a host of key gameplay advances. The focus of PES 2017 is the fun in playing against another player, and all the new features support this ethos. Central to the new game is ‘Real Touch’, which authentically reproduces a wealth of ways to receive and control a pass. Different players use varying techniques and Real Touch mimics these using complex ball physics and subtle control nuances as the pass is met. The new system is then complemented with the advent of the new ‘Precise Pass’ system. Precise Pass extends the Real Touch basis of using the ability of the player with the ball to determine the accuracy of each pass. The movement of the ball in relation to the position of the player and the intended target for the pass all contribute towards its accuracy, adding a genuine feeling of excitement when a defence is split with an inch-perfect ball.
Taking place on May 27th – 28th, the 2016 PES World Finals of the UEFA Champions League eSports event give two finalists an incredible opportunity to play a match pitch-side at the Stadio Guiseppe Meazza (otherwise known as San Siro) stadium, ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final. The initial heats between all 32 entrants take place at the Terrazza Martini located near the UEFA Champions League festival area. Entrants are competing for a total prize pot of 23,000 Euro, with the winner receiving 15,000 Euro and tickets to the UEFA Champions League Final, with second and third place receiving 5,000 Euro and 3,000 Euro.
Following huge growth during the 2014/15 season, PES League is truly a global tournament opening the competition to players from Peru, India, and Saudi Arabia, and hundreds of thousands of people have entered this season. French reigning champion, Rachid Tabane, will return to defend his title, having emerged victorious in Berlin last year.
PES League originally started in 2001 by KONAMI as a national tournament in France, and later broadened its scope to become a full-scale global tournament. With the PES World Finals taking place on the same weekend as the UEFA Champions League Final, it’s one of the biggest football spectacles in the world and draws a great deal of attention each year.
KONAMI will be revealing more at E3, held from June 14th. Stay tuned for more information.