FIFA 20 Loses Juventus After PES 2020 Announces Exclusivity Deal; EA Responds

Juventus will be exclusive to PES 2020 this year, meaning FIFA 20 will have to make do without. PES publisher Konami has announced a "long-term" deal with the club that makes PES "the only console football game to include the Italian champions."

Konami says the partnership covers exclusive use of Juve's "team name, crest, and official kits"--as well as its Allianz Stadium--within "console football video games." That leaves the door open for other games, such as Football Manager, to include the club, but details on that are unclear. What is clear is that FIFA will not include Juventus this year; EA has stated its plans to instead feature an unlicensed version of the club.

"Following a close relationship with Juventus Football Club, EA Sports can confirm that June 30 marked the end of its partnership with the club," EA said.

In a separate statement, the publisher continued: "Piemonte Calcio will be a new playable team in FIFA 20 with a custom badge and kit throughout Kick-Off, Career Mode, and Volta. Piemonte Calcio will use real-world, authentic players in FIFA 20 and FIFA 20 Ultimate Team. Piemonte Calcio players' Chemistry within FIFA 20 Ultimate Team is unaffected by these changes."

The term "Piemonte" is a reference to the region of Italy Juventus is located, Piedmont. "Calcio," meanwhile, is the Italian word for "kick" that is commonly associated with football in the country. FIFA's version of the Italian league, Serie A, is titled Calcio A due to the lack of official league license.

EA went on to reassure fans that while Juve's name, badge, and kits are unlicensed in FIFA 20, the club's players would still be depictions of their real selves, as player likenesses come under the umbrella football union, FIFPro, and not their individual clubs or leagues. Since FIFPro has partnerships with both Konami and EA, both are permitted to replicate player names and faces in their games. EA also said FIFA 20 will continue to feature Piemonte Calcio players as in-form players in Ultimate Team in accordance with Juventus's real-world standing. The company concluded by confirming existing versions of FIFA are unaffected by the change.

PES 2020 also has official partnerships with Manchester United, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich, though those are not exclusive, so EA can continue to feature them officially in FIFA.

PES 2020 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on September 10. A demo version, which includes online and offline match types as well as the game's edit mode, will launch on July 30.

FIFA 20, meanwhile, launches September 27 and comes with a new five-a-side Volta mode, among other changes.