In one of the only pieces of concrete news surrounding PES 2022 - it has been announced that Italian club Atalanta have joined the franchise as an exclusive partner.
This is the very first exclusive club confirmed by Konami for PES 2022.
Atalanta sign exclusive partnership with Konami for PES 2022
Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. has today announced that the company has signed a long-term, exclusive partnership agreement with Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio (Atalanta), the top-tier Italian football club who recently finished the season in third place.
As “Official Video Game Partner”, Konami has secured exclusive rights to the use of the Atalanta license, including team name, crest and kits, within real-time football simulation games, starting with the 2021/22 football season.
This exclusive deal means that FIFA 22 will no longer include the official Atalanta team name, crest, kits and player names.
Signed, sealed, delivered
The official press release from Konami reads:
“As we prepare to unveil the future of the eFootball PES series, I am delighted to announce this exclusive partnership with Atalanta B.C., a truly formidable club with an exciting future at the highest levels of European football. Working side by side with our Partner Clubs is an important element of our strategy to deliver industry-leading video games to football fans all over the world.”
“We are extremely delighted to announce the partnership with KONAMI”, said Luca Percassi, Atalanta B.C. CEO. “KONAMI is an international brand that needs no introduction. It represents another important moment of growth for Atalanta”.
The story behind the Atalanta partnership
Based in Bergamo, Italy, Atalanta has competed in the top-tier Italian football league for 60 years and commands a passionate fanbase across Europe.
The team has also proudly reached the quarter-finals and the last 16 in the most prestigious European club tournament for the past two seasons.
Konami's latest partnership announcement for the eFootball PES series follows previous Italian agreements including the Italian Football Federation, AS Roma, SS Lazio and SSC Napoli.
For more information on the PES 2022 licenses, click here.
Who's joining PES 2022 next?
We are fully expecting more licence announcements ahead of PES 2022.
Following the announcements of deals with Roma, Lazio and Napoli, we could still see other Italian clubs join the fray.
There are other big clubs in Italy that could pen a deal with PES like Fiorentina, Udinese and Torino.