SSC Napoli have signed a deal with Konami to become one of the official Partner Clubs in the upcoming PES 2022, which will debut with a new engine later this year.
The deal will turn into an exclusive licensing agreement for the second season, 2022-23, which means that EA will then have to rename the club in FIFA. This is similar to exclusive deals hold by Konami for fellow Serie A clubs Juventus and Roma, and EA for AC Milan and Inter.
In addition to the license, the "long-term" partnership also includes Konami becoming Napoli's "Official Training Center Partner". From 1st July, 2021, the facility will be known as SSC Napoli KONAMI Training Center.
Naoki Morita, President at Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. commented: “With this close partnership between our two companies, we will further establish eFootball PES as the definitive video game series for Italian football. Showing strong belief in our long-term plan, we are humbled that Napoli chose to sign this exclusive agreement with KONAMI.”
Serena Salvione, Chief International Development Officer at Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli commented: “We are delighted to launch this exclusive partnership with an innovative, international brand such as KONAMI to create content and unique experiences for Napoli fans. KONAMI has further tied its name to the Napoli brand by acquiring the naming rights to the training ground. This partnership is the latest step in the wider drive towards internationalization of the Napoli brand that the club has been working on in recent years.”
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