It’s a comprehensive deal, but maybe the most significant part of it is the two FIFAe World Cup competitions that will take place on KONAMI’s eFootball title.
This is part of a larger and longer process in which eSports are becoming a part of the mainstream sports scene and in which traditional sports institutions are incorporating them into their offer.
What You Need To Know About KONAMI in football gaming
A Japanese company founded in 1969, known for its trading cards and video games. It first created a football game (Sensible Soccer) in 1995, which gained a cult following. Its successor (Pro Evolution Soccer) became the rival to EA’s FIFA. However, gamers became disillusioned with the franchise after each yearly updates seemed to lose some of the game-playability that their football games were known for – shelling out £40 a game every year for promised ‘improved player runs’ only to be disappointed that the Konami team hadn’t even bothered to change the ceremony sequence, lead even loyal ‘PES’ fans into the arms of EA’s FIFA.
KONAMI launched eFootball in response to online play and esports and much KONAMI also started creating football tournaments for its game in the 1990s, and have progressively increased their involvement in eSports, especially once the phenomenon took off after the COVID-19 pandemic.
eFootball Competitions
FIFA and KONAMI have agreed to set up The FIFAe World Cup featuring eFootball. It’s an event in which 18 nations compete against each other in eSports events taking place on both mobile and desktop platforms. The nations are selected based on their past performance in eSports events. In effect, this will be the World Cup for eSports football in particular. The comparisons don’t stop there. Much like with standard football, eSports betting sites, such as the ones found here, have already created odds for the cup. Spectators have the opportunity to place bets on the outcomes of the games – including both regular fiat currency and crypto bets, in true eGaming style.
The nations competing are Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, England, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea Republic, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Thailand, and Türkiye.
Koji Kobayashi, Senior Executive Officer at KONAMI, spoke on the deal:
‘At KONAMI, we have continued to take on challenges in the development of football simulation and esports.
‘We would like to express our sincere gratitude to FIFA for providing us with this opportunity. We can’t wait for the FIFAe World Cup to begin. We look forward to sharing the enthusiasm, excitement, and joy of our players around the world through the FIFAe World Cup.’
Romy Gai, Chief Business Officer at FIFA, also addressed the deal:
‘We are incredibly excited to join forces with KONAMI. This collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission to promote football globally and to provide a platform for players to showcase their skills. We truly believe in an inclusive ecosystem which allows different communities to be part of the FIFAe competitions.’
Other FIFA Collaborations
FIFA has collaborated with other game developers with the same goal in mind. FIFA and EA Sports parted ways, with which it has collaborated on football games for decades. The shift was somewhat difficult for players, and it took a while for the player base to find their new favourite football game.
One of those collaborations was with the Football Manager franchise as a part of the multi-title esports event in Liverpool. The FIFA eWorld Cup will also host a Rocket League competition. Rocket League has long been one of the most popular eSports franchises, and FIFA will further amplify it.
KONAMI’s Partnerships
KONAMI has also worked with many sports franchises to expand its reach and get into the world of real-life sports. In 2022, it joined forces with seven Italian football clubs to create the Coppa eFootball Italia tournament.
The company has just recently renewed a similar deal it had with Manchester United FC. This partnership started in 2019 and will continue until the end of 2025. It includes numerous commercial and intellectual property rights, as well as many chances to promote both brands.
The Rise of eSports
eSports, in general, have been experiencing a rise for years now. Competitive online gaming has been around for decades, but eSports has truly taken off as an industry made to rival real-life sports during and after the pandemic. For about a year, eSports events were the only events the players could bet on since sports were prohibited.
Soon after, esports teams found sponsors and became stars in their own right. Deals such as this go to show how much eSports are now integrated with their real-life counterparts.
