New eFootball Update Is Bad News for FIFA Fans

FIFA 23 is reportedly releasing this September, and when it does it will once again be missing some licenses, which means it will be missing some previous content. Konami has announced that it’s extending its partnership with Bayern Munich, the reigning champions of the German Bundesliga and one of the best club teams in Europe, featuring world-class players like Robert Lewandowski, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, and Manuel Neuer.  As FIFA fans will know, Bayern Munich’s legendary stadium, the Allianz Arena, isn’t in the game because of this partnership, which means it will continue to not be in the game. 

“To have been partners during a period where they have won multiple titles and become champions of Europe has been fantastic,” said Konami’s European president Naoki Morita of the announcement. “The partnership with Konami is of great importance to us because this market is booming and is particularly popular with the young fans,” added Bayern Munich’s Andreas Jung adds. 

It’s unclear how much this deal is costing Konami, but it can’t be much since it’s only for the stadium. While the announcement mentions that eFootball will be “the only football match simulation game with the inclusion of the Allianz Arena,” it makes no mention of player likeness rights, jerseys, badges, or anything else. 

It remains to be seen how EA will retain all of its licensing rights after FIFA 23, which is set to be the final FIFA game as it will conclude the long-running partnership between EA and FIFA. Going forward, EA’s soccer series will be called EA Sports FC.

It also remains to be seen what will happen with the FIFA license. With the recent rebranding of PES to eFootball, it seems unlikely Konami will bite, leaving the door open for 2K to potentially get involved. It doesn’t make a soccer game, but it has experience making sports games, primarily NBA 2K.

As always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think or, alternatively, hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know over there. What do you think of Konami’s partnership with Bayern Munich?