Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. has detailed its plans for its first ever PES Virtual UEFA Champions League for PES 2014 in Europe, which will kick off on March 26th.
The newly-branded competition demonstrates closer ties between KONAMI and UEFA, with the PES series the only football simulation game featuring exclusive use of the official UEFA Champions League competition as a dedicated game mode. Registration for the PES Virtual UEFA Champions League opened on 24th March, with the first online ranked matches starting on the 26th March.
The PES Virtual UEFA Champions League is a KONAMI-run competition that unites competitive PlayStation®3-owning PES 2014 players from the company’s European region. The League is free for anyone to join, and collates all the data from thousands of matches to create a definitive overview of form and results. Player results are automatically collected via the KONAMI online game data, and posted in the PES League leader boards, where players can view all previous results, form information and match data.
The season will run from March 26th onwards and will offer entrants the chance to take part in a series of very special events. Main prizes during the year include €25,000 Euros in cash prizes from KONAMI, and additional items supplied by PlayStation®, UEFA and their official partners, including official signed UEFA Champions League memorabilia and a VIP UEFA Champions League Final experience where the winner is flown to Lisbon, and presented with match tickets courtesy of PlayStation®. Similarly, success in the PES Virtual UEFA Champions League will also secure a coveted space in global competitions against PES-playing peers from all over the world.
In addition, KONAMI has also created a series of related competitions for PES Virtual UEFA Champions League players. This includes a new UEFA Youth League PES Event, wherein eight of Europe’s top PES players will travel to compete in a very special tournament in Nyon, Switzerland, the host city of UEFA’s headquarters and the UEFA Youth League finals. The semi-finals and final of the inaugural UEFA Youth League season will be played on the April 11th and April 14th, respectively, with the U-19 teams of Real Madrid CF, SL Benfica, FC Schalke 04 and FC Barcelona striving for the trophy. PES players from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and Holland will be invited to compete in a gala competition at UEFA’s headquarters on the weekend prior to the UEFA Youth League final. The UEFA Youth League PES Tournament kicks off on March 28th with a week-long online competition, before the ultimate winners head to Nyon for an offline knock-out competition against their peers. Anyone signed into the PES Virtual UEFA Champions League will be automatically entered, and all the winner’s expenses will be paid for the trip.
Teaming up with PlayStation®, PES 2014 will also be an integral part of this year’s UEFA Champions League Festival in Lisbon. As the only video game to feature the ultimate club competition, PES 2014 players will be invited to win a trip to this year’s UEFA Champions League final host city. All PES Virtual UEFA Champions League members will be automatically entered, and a series of weekly matches will begin on March 31st. The top four players from each region will qualify for a regional final, and receive a UEFA Champions League goodie bag. These weekly winners will then get together at a specially created tournament to determine who will travel to Lisbon for the UEFA Virtual PES Champions League Festival tournament.
The PES Virtual UEFA Champions League tournament is a celebration of the world’s top club competition, and the regional champion from each territory will win an expenses-paid trip to Lisbon and a prize bundle from PlayStation® and UEFA. The ultimate winner of the knock-out competition will also win tickets, courtesy of PlayStation®, to that night’s UEFA Champions League Final at the Estadio Da Luz. The overall winner will also cement their place at the PES World Finals to be held later this year.
To register for the PES Virtual UEFA Champions League, please visit: www.pesleague.com
PES 2014 is available now for PlayStation®3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC. Versions also available for PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®2
