‘PES 2020’ release date: Konami snags exclusive rights for River Plate

Konami has been fighting hard to get exclusive rights on football teams for its “PES 2020” title, jostling with EA for such agreements. Now, the Japanese conglomerate is celebrating another win in this regard as it has won the rights to feature Argentine powerhouse Club Atlético River Plate exclusively.

As such, EA will be changing the club’s name to Núñez in “FIFA 20.” This marks another victory of “PES 2020” as it previously won the rights for the eight-time defending Italian champs, Juventus.

Konami has also inked a deal with Atlético Boca Juniors, which is a treat for gamers since pitting the team against its arch-rival River Plate will be fun to play with. “PES 2020” brand manager Adam Bhatti tweeted about the licensing war last month and said that they would’ve loved to halt the back and forth altogether if the competition is inclined to do so, Gamespot reported.

PES 2020 and the exclusive rights battle

“However, the big teams want to feel they are in an actual partnership, not just bought to block out competitors. Everyone knows we cannot outspend EA, it's the quality of recreation and commitment to being a true partner sharing the clubs values--that's why we're back,” Bhatti said. Prior to the release of “PES 2020,” Konami had to deal with multiple situations where it lost licensing agreements against EA due to the disparity in spending power.

So for the company to win the aforementioned rights is a big deal indeed. With regards to the gameplay of “PES 2020,” the developers opted to slow down the pace of the game in an attempt to provide players more time with the ball.

PES 2020 to arrive on Sept. 10

Combining this with the Finesse Dribble feature lends a deeper sense of realism into the game, increasing the immersive experience for players. “PES 2020” further heightens this aspect with its Broadcast camera angle that makes it feel that you’re actually watching a game, not playing one. But as great as the title is, it’s not expected to blow “FIFA 20” out of the water since the changes that the developers made isn’t enough to warrant such praise. Not yet, anyway.

What it does, however, is provide the gaming community an alternative for “FIFA.” With EA’s already tarnished reputation, there are countless players out there who are staying away from games tied with the company. As for when “PES 2020” will be released, it will be available on Sept. 10. The gameplay demo is also out right now so if you want to take the title for a spin, feel free to do so and judge the game for yourself, Hardcore Gamer reported.