GAMING Barcelona renew partnership with Konami ahead of EA SPORTS FC 24 release

Konami, the creator of the eFootball™ series, will continue as FC Barcelona's official video gaming Partner, the club have announced.

Barcelona and KONAMI have agreed to extend their partnership for multiple seasons. 

The Catalan club announced today that the Japanese video gaming giants and creators of the eFootball series will continue being FC Barcelona’s Global Partner and Official Video Gaming Partner. 

The deal comes ahead of the release of EA SPORTS’ new game following their split from FIFA - FC 24.

EA SPORTS and KONAMI have been known to be long-term rivals in the soccer video gaming world with fans constantly engaging in the ultimate debate of the best soccer video game ever created.

KONAMI and Barcelona renew long-term partnership deal

According to the club’s website, Barcelona's new deal with KONAMI means that the Japanese multinationals will have access to the senior squad, among a number of actions to gather material for the production of its successful games, and will also be able to build synergies with the Barça Legends, who will be serving as first-class ambassadors for the deal.

The understanding includes brand visibility on the ground on match days, in the museum and in the club’s media. 

It will also be present on the club’s social networks, including content promoting the eFootball™ series, and will be running campaigns and draws addressed at the Culers community.

By renewing this contract, FC Barcelona is reaffirming its long-term commitment to KONAMI, which began in 2016 but is now going even further with the consolidation of a partnership with a leading name in the gaming community and in the world of digital entertainment.

Speaking on the new deal between Barcelona and KONAMI, the club’s Vice-President of Marketing Area Juli Guiu said via a press release: 

“We are very pleased to renew our agreement with KONAMI, a company that over the years has always demonstrated its commitment to FC Barcelona. KONAMI is a benchmark in the video game sector and will help us to forge new synergies with young audiences and to continue to explore possibilities in the realm of digital entertainment, a key sector for the expansion of our brand in the coming years.”

Naoki Morita, Konami Digital Entertainment B.V.’s European President also added: 

“It is very exciting to be announcing an extension to such a successful partnership. FC Barcelona are truly one of giants of world football, we are proud to have them as part of the eFootball™ series now and for the next few years thanks to this renewal. To have secured a long-term future that will include a multitude of commercial, image, and esports rights and activations is fantastic for KONAMI and for the eFootball™ series as we keep evolving our product to bring the best user experience possible”.

How will Barcelona's deal with KONAMI affect the team in EA SPORTS FC 24?

Barcelona will still feature in EA FC 24 despite their latest extension with EA’s competitors KONAMI.

However, the partnership with KONAMI means that there will be a continued absence of Barcelona’s stadium/home ground in the game.

The Spotify Camp Nou which is currently being renovated is the iconic home of FC Barcelona but it is not expected to feature in EA’s upcoming release.

The last time Camp Nou featured in an EA Sports title was in FIFA 16, and fans will certainly have to wait even longer for it to return.

Although the Spotify Camp Nou will be missing from EA FC 24, the game will still feature a fully-licensed FC Barcelona team, with real names, faces, badges and more as has been the case over the last five editions of the now-defunct FIFA series.

This is because EA Sports has already secured extensive licensing agreements with most of the top football leagues around the world, including La Liga, which has since been renamed La Liga EA Sports ahead of the 2023-24 season.

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