Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 News Post

UEFA Champions League Signs Four Year Deal For PES

08:28 AM - September 11, 2008 by Steve_OS

Best club football competition in the world to feature in PES 2009 as Konami secures exclusive UEFA Champions League licence

Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd has announced that its PES 2009 title will feature the UEFA Champions League following the conclusion of an exclusive 4 year licence with UEFA. The newest addition to the Pro Evolution Soccer series will be released for PLAYSTATION�3, Xbox 360 and, PC-DVD on 17th October, followed by a version for Wii in 2009.

The UEFA Champions League deal will allow Konami to use all elements and attributes of the competition to create an exclusive UEFA Champions League mode within the PES game. The licence confirms Konami�s commitment to extending the series� reputation as the definitive and most realistic football series available.

�The Pro Evolution Soccer series is synonymous with football being played at the highest level, which makes it perfect for hosting the best club football competition in the world�, commented UEFA. �We are delighted that PES 2009 will feature the UEFA Champions League and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Konami.�

�This deal showcases our commitment to taking PES 2009 forward in terms of licences and realism,� commented Kunio Neo, President for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. �The UEFA Champions League is the jewel in the club competition crown, and is just one of many innovations we have lined up for the new game.�

PES 2009 will be released for PLAYSTATION�3, Xbox 360, PC-DVD and mobile phones on 17th October, followed by versions for PlayStation�2 on 30th October, and for PSP� (PlayStation�Portable) on 6th November and for Wii in 2009.

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Member Comments

# 1 ste_parky @ 09/12/08 12:04 PM

"The licence confirms Konami’s commitment to extending the series’ reputation as the definitive and most realistic football series available."

That statement would be so true if they were talking about PES about 5 years ago, they're delirious if they still think it's 'realistic', guess that means this years will be as bad as last then

# 2 BrianFifaFan @ 09/13/08 04:26 PM

Well, I now have 2 games to buy this year. ManU and Champions League presentation? Sold...... Now I'm gonna finally turn to the "dark side." LOL.....

# 3 mdbussen @ 09/15/08 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianFifaFan


	Well, I now have 2 games to buy this year. ManU and Champions League presentation? Sold...... Now I'm gonna finally turn to the "dark side." LOL.....

So we will be seeing you in the PES forums more I take it?

# 4 BrianFifaFan @ 09/15/08 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdbussen


	So we will be seeing you in the PES forums more I take it?

Collecting OS Champions League trophies!

# 5 poster @ 09/16/08 11:00 AM

So is this part of the Master League ( I think it is still called that) or is it a seperate game mode?

# 6 calcutta @ 09/17/08 01:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poster


	So is this part of the Master League ( I think it is still called that) or is it a seperate game mode?

I'm not sure yet...but the way its being marketed i have a feeling its just a separate mode available from the 'top menu'.

I certainly hope its incorporated into Master League too.

# 7 calcutta @ 09/17/08 04:54 AM

I've reading over at PESFan that the Champions League mode is NOT incorporated into Master League mode at all. Lame.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PodSquad


	So does this mean we get Arsenal and Chelsea, or does North London and whatever the hell they call the English Oligarchs get into the game?

This blog 'confirmed' that "there will be a fully licensed Champions League mode featuring the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United", which suggests that both Chelsea and Arsenal are also fully licensed. However, i've set to see images of those clubs in the game so no visual confirmation yet.

Then again, the same blog 'confimed' the demo for release on September 11th, and we know how that went...

# 8 devilsjaw @ 09/17/08 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calcutta


	I've reading over at PESFan* that the Champions League mode is NOT incorporated into Master League mode at all. Lame.*

Konami seriously doesn't get it. At all...

# 9 poster @ 09/17/08 11:12 PM

Ya, that is weak.

# 10 PeruvianPlaya954 @ 09/19/08 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianFifaFan


	Collecting OS Champions League trophies!

HAHA! If I play PES more then FIFA this year and go back to my old ways on the PES, I doubt you'd be able to beat me. I was quite good until PES 2007 for Ps2. Then PES 2008 came out and I switched to FIFA for last year.

# 11 calcutta @ 09/24/08 03:59 AM

Some scans from a UK PS3 review can be found here - LINK

This particular scan confirms the Champions League is NOT incorporated into ML

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q...Picture005.jpg

And this part of the review reveals the only improvement/change to ML is a very small one (IMO)

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q...Picture004.jpg

If i'm not allowed to post these here even in link form, then feel free to remove them, mods.

# 12 calcutta @ 09/25/08 05:45 AM

I wonder if they've retained the 18-20 blank spots for us to create our own teams (like in 08) and just as importantly, if they have allowed for those clubs to be added to Master League (unlike 08). Otherwise the option file creators are going to have to sacrifice the unlicensed Spansih clubs in order to overwrite those clubs with Championship teams or what have you, just so users can play as or against them in ML.

Either way, i will probably be reserved to playing as a French or Dutch team in ML again for the sake of realism, mainly because i don't have the facilites to get an option file onto my 360 anyway, unless i buy one of those XSATA things, which aren't exactly cheap. Last year i tried skipping ahead to Div 1 in an all Italian league to purposely avoid having teams from a French/Dutch Div 2 being promoted into that league, but the way it was setup and written in the Transfer menu (my league was called Serie A Div 1, the lower league was Serie A Div 2 despite the fact i had assigned it to the "European League" region when setting up the ML), the two divisions were still 'connected' and they would still get promoted to my Serie A (actually i never bothered to finish a single season, but it was clear that was going to happen).

I would actually prefer it if Konami got rid of Div 2, and add a fifth region to the ML setup instead, given the fact they still haven't bothered to include Serie B and other lower leagues even after 2 attempts (now 3) on the current gen systems.

# 13 PeruvianPlaya954 @ 09/26/08 04:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calcutta


	I wonder if they've retained the 18-20 blank spots for us to create our own teams (like in 08) and just as importantly, if they have allowed for those clubs to be added to Master League (unlike 08). Otherwise the option file creators are going to have to sacrifice the unlicensed Spansih clubs in order to overwrite those clubs with Championship teams or what have you, just so users can play as or against them in ML. Either way, i will probably be reserved to playing as a French or Dutch team in ML again for the sake of realism, mainly because i don't have the facilites to get an option file onto my 360 anyway, unless i buy one of those XSATA things, which aren't exactly cheap. Last year i tried skipping ahead to Div 1 in an all Italian league to purposely avoid having teams from a French/Dutch Div 2 being promoted into that league, but the way it was setup and written in the Transfer menu (my league was called Serie A Div 1, the lower league was Serie A Div 2 despite the fact i had assigned it to the "European League" region when setting up the ML), the two divisions were still 'connected' and they would still get promoted to my Serie A (actually i never bothered to finish a single season, but it was clear that was going to happen). I would actually prefer it if Konami got rid of Div 2, and add a fifth region to the ML setup instead, given the fact they still haven't bothered to include Serie B and other lower leagues even after 2 attempts (now 3) on the current gen systems.

Not trying to sound like a fan-boy as I have been an only PES guy up until last year, but you should look into FIFA if you want second divisions. FIFA has plenty of leagues, more than you'll use, which isn't a bad thing. The only negative is that you'll only score 5 different types of goals, unless they've changed that (hopefully).

# 14 calcutta @ 09/26/08 04:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeruvianPlaya954


	Not trying to sound like a fan-boy as I have been an only PES guy up until last year, but you should look into FIFA if you want second divisions. FIFA has plenty of leagues, more than you'll use, which isn't a bad thing.

Thats not my point though. My point is that the current Master League structure does not accomodate a realistic setup because of the fact they have a Division 2. So if you wanted to play in an all-British league in ML, you have to throw in random Belgian and Turkish teams into your Division 2 just to make up the numbers, but then after 2 or 3 seasons, your Division 1 (ie: your 'British' Premier League) could potentially have only 10 British teams and 10 Turkish/Greek/Belgian teams, which i doubt anyone wants to see. Plus, because Konami are idiots, Div 1 and 2 have separate cups?!?!?! What real life domestic association are they basing this on?

Given the lack of lower league clubs and German glubs in PES, i'd personally sacrifice a Div 2 and thus relegation/promotion system (i usually just skip into Div 1 myself anyway), in order to have a more realistic setup.

I buy both FIFA and PES every year on release anyway. I usually play with English clubs in FIFA (EPL and Championship), and i prefer to with Serie A clubs in PES (due to lack of English licenses, but because of the ML format, i resorted to playing in an all-French/Dutch/Belgian league last year.

# 15 calcutta @ 09/26/08 05:10 AM

Given the current amount of teams in the game, this would be my preferred Master League setup:

6 domestic leagues, of 16 teams each:

"Britain" - 14 English teams, Rangers and Celtic
"Iberia" - 13 Spanish teams, Porto, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon
"Italia" - 16 Italian teams
"Benelux" (Holland/Belgium) - 14 Dutch teams, Anderlecht and Club Brugge
"France" - 16 French teams
"Europe" - made up of 16 clubs from 'other' European countries like Greece, Turkey, Russia, Scandinavia etc

Why 16 teams only? Because that way, the bottom 3 per league can still get relegated and the clubs not in the league can still get promoted the following year (anyone remember FIFA 2001?). This way you get to face new teams every season, whereas if it were 20 teams, in some leagues like France and Italy, no teams would be able to get relegated. The only issue with the above is what happens if your team gets relegated, because there would be no Division 2 to play in...i guess that scenario could be either "Game Over", or your team is forced to spend the next season in oblivion before winning auto-promotion for the following year or just let the user pick a new team in the same ML.

The other advantage of 16 teams is that in the domestic cup no teams would have byes at any point of the competition, whereas in a 20 team league, 12 teams would get no action in the first round. Of course this implies that those other teams (the ones not in your current season but may get promoted next season) do NOT participate at all.

As for WEFA competitions, in my format i'd set it up like this:

WEFA Champions League
Top 4 per league automatically qualify for the group stage, which is 6 groups of 4. Only the group winners progress to the quarter finals, along with the top two runners-up to make 8 teams (a la the old real life UCL format which ended in 1999). And FFS Konami, code it so that i don't face the same domestic teams in my group again

WEFA Cup
The domestic cup winners along with the teams that finished 5-7 in each each league (or 5-8 in the case the domestic cup winner finished in the top 4 too) compete in the first round. 24 teams, knockout, reduced to 12 teams in the second round. Then these 12 are joined by the 4 other lower-ranked runners-up in the WEFA CL group stage to make it a second round of 16 teams. Then it becomes a standard KO format up until the final.

# 16 calcutta @ 10/22/08 01:46 AM

From what i'm reading at PESFan, the Champions League is in LEAGUE Mode, but only in the second season and beyond (ie: if you choose an 08/09 qualifier like Chelsea, you do NOT play CL games in your first season...like with FIFA's MM). IBut i'm not sure how the qualifiers from other leagues would be determined for each season...

The CL is NOT in Master League, nor in "Become a Legend" mode either, from what i've read.

Also, they haven't incorporated the correct group stage fixture format (ie: A, B, C, C, A, B) which does detract from the authencity IMO, albeit only slightly. All CL games are played at night though, which is cool to know.

# 17 pietasterp @ 10/23/08 12:52 AM

No Bundesliga annoys the s*&t out of me...Why not just put a BS league w/ fake teams so we can DIY the Bundesliga? It's like having a football game that doesn't have the NFC North...Lame.

Whatever, I'm still getting the game, I guess I just won't be able to take Borussia Dortmund to the Erste Liga title...

# 18 poster @ 10/26/08 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calcutta


	From what i'm reading at PESFan, the Champions League is in LEAGUE Mode, but only in the second season and beyond (ie: if you choose an 08/09 qualifier like Chelsea, you do NOT play CL games in your first season...like with FIFA's MM). IBut i'm not sure how the qualifiers from other leagues would be determined for each season... The CL is NOT in Master League, nor in "Become a Legend" mode either, from what i've read. Also, they haven't incorporated the correct group stage fixture format (ie: A, B, C, C, A, B) which does detract from the authencity IMO, albeit only slightly. All CL games are played at night though, which is cool to know.

Cal, is League mode just a single season mode? I haven't played in a couple of years so I cannot remember, does the master league have any type of seasonal cups in it?

# 19 calcutta @ 10/28/08 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poster


	Cal, is League mode just a single season mode? I haven't played in a couple of years so I cannot remember, does the master league have any type of seasonal cups in it?

You can play multiple seasons in League mode, but there is no relegation/promotion. Also if previous Pro Evos are anything to go by, any changes you make to team rosters and lineups in the main menu should also apply to teams in League mode too, so you can effectively make up your own transfers in between each season (might be an idea if you find the ML transfers unrealistic).

ML has domestic cups in it, but they are still separated into D1 Cup and D2 Cup for some stupid reason.

# 20 poster @ 10/30/08 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calcutta


	You can play multiple seasons in League mode, but there is no relegation/promotion. Also if previous Pro Evos are anything to go by, any changes you make to team rosters and lineups in the main menu should also apply to teams in League mode too, so you can effectively make up your own transfers in between each season (might be an idea if you find the ML transfers unrealistic). ML has domestic cups in it, but they are still separated into D1 Cup and D2 Cup for some stupid reason.

Thanks Cal for the reply.

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