Thanks to an inattentive employee in Hong Kong, we’ve been given an early peek at Pro Evolution Soccer 2019. The as-yet unannounced new installment in the PES series was mistakenly posted on the Hong Kong Playstation Store with an August release date and a list of new features, including the interesting line “huge addition of licensed leagues”.
Interested in the sometimes muddy history of PC sports games? Check out our run-down.
The product listing was spotted by a forum user over at Evo-Web.co.uk. The listing has since been taken down, but the blurb and screenshots are now firmly out of the bag.
Konami recently ended its licensing deal with the Champions’ League, and it may be that they’re picking up new licenses to appeal to a different market. PES has always been more popular in Asia than its long-time rival FIFA, so the addition of new Chinese teams would be a smart move, particularly if the expensive Champions League licensing was failing to chip into FIFA’s hold on the European market.
Additional details from the leak include David Beckham on the cover of the special Legend Edition, a complete restructuring of MyClub mode, and new skills and systems, including a visible stamina bar.