A player will be added to FIFA 21 15 years after being tragically stabbed to death by another teen. On March 18th, 2006, 15-year-old Kiyan Prince was murdered after sticking up for another boy that was being bullied. Prince was a talented soccer player for the Queen’s Park Rangers, and on the 15th anniversary of his death, the player will be symbolically re-signed by his old team. His player number will be 30, the age that he would have been were he alive today. To reflect his re-signing by the team, he will also be added to this year’s FIFA by EA Sports.
Prince will appear 15 years older than he was at the time of his passing. A character model of the player was designed through the combined efforts of Framestore, which is a special effects studio, scientists from the University of Bradford, and his loved ones. The likeness created for the game will also appear as part of a campaign for JD Sports, so fans can expect to see Prince on billboards throughout the UK.
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In an interview with Reuters, Prince’s father, Dr Mark Prince, told the outlet that he “broke down” upon seeing the character model for the first time. Since the murder, the elder Prince has dedicated his life to speaking out against knife violence through the Kiyan Prince Foundation.
“Through this campaign my hope is that the world finally gets to glimpse Kiyan’s incredible potential fulfilled. We get to honour his talent and, hopefully, we can inspire other kids to honour their own talent too,” the elder Prince told Reuters.
QPR director of football Les Ferdinand believes that the appearance in FIFA could also dissuade other kids from carrying knives.
“Most of these guys, this generation, they play FIFA, they will see Kiyan and if that can change just one of their mindsets then it will be a benefit,” Ferdinand told Reuters.
All in all, this seems like an amazing way of honoring Kiyan Prince, and one that will allow FIFA fans to celebrate his memory! FIFA 21 players will be able to play as Prince starting on March 18th.
FIFA 21 is currently available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and PC. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.
Are you a fan of FIFA 21? What do you think of Prince’s addition to the game? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
[H/T: Reuters]
