How Much is the Pro Evolution Soccer Franchise Worth?

The Konami company is the developer, publisher, manufacturer and distributor of the Pro Evolution Soccer video game franchise, also known as PES. The company began using the PES logo from m2007 through 2013. The popular sports game was released in a variety of platforms and boosted the value of the Japanese company that specializes in digital games, consoles along with a health and fitness division. Konami has made a fortune from the franchise and its current valuation is estimated as of May 10th at 45.2 billion Yen.

Pro Evolution Soccer Video Game platforms

Regardless of what kind of gaming platform you use, there was a version of PES for practically every type of device. The game was released for PlayStation with versions made for PS2, PS3, PS4, PS Portable and PS Vita. Konami covered the bases by including the game for Game Boy Advance, Xbox, including Xbox 360 and Xbox One, Game Cube, iOS, Android, Wii, Windows Phone 7, Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS.

A long line of successes

The first release was made for J-League Jikkyou Winning Eleven in July of 1995 featuring a series of video games in the football genre. New releases have been made annually around the end of September or the beginning of October. Pro Evolution Soccer is the title that is released in Indonesia, North America and Europe with a Japanese version called World Soccer: Winning Eleven in Japan and select Asian countries.

Powerful influencers boosted sales

In 2008, Konami entered into an agreement with Cristiano Ronaldo to represent the PES franchise with his name on the front cover for three non-consecutive years in 2008, 2012 and again in 2013. More recently Mario Gotze became the influencer featured in 2015, followed by Neymar and Alvaro Morato who appeared on the 2016 cover.

International appeal

Soccer fans all over the world have been granted access to Pro Evolution Soccer that is available in 19 different languages and is dispersed in 62 countries throughout the world. By December of 2012, the series had reached an apex in sales with over 81.65 billion units sold. By September of 2014, this figure had risen to 86.8 million. The sales continue to soar with the most recent accounting of total sales for the series reaching over the 100 million mark in April of 2018. PES Mobile for 2018 by itself has been downloaded more than 100 million times. The latest version was released in September of 2017 as Pro Evolution Soccer 2018.

Some challenges

The fantasy football game has been well-received and anticipated by fans because of how well it plays. Team and single-player modes make it easy for players to develop their skills due to its simplicity. The games perform with excellence when played through popular console versions, but when played through an online format, the performance takes a huge downgrade and is far less satisfying. This doesn't seem to stop die-hard fans from downloading and playing in these formats with sales past 100 million. The PC version doesn't compare with console gaming either. The games are rated ass being at their best with high marks for configuration options on the PS4. The PC presents some serious lags in multiplayer mode and the characters are not as attractively formed. The graphics also appear outdated, but there are still players who are willing to accept these minor detractors to play.

The attraction to PES 2017

Although the teams have made up names, the players are easily recognizable. This makes it possible for gamers to assume the persona of their favorite players. The one thing that is lacking here is the lack of license, which would likely blow sales completely through the roof. Improvements in the teams, players, and styles make it fun and exciting to play. Master League features the management career mode for the game and players are enamored with the Manchester Red which is the generic for Manchester United.

How much is the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise worth?

The figures for total sales have not been neatly broken down for us, but we know for certain that Konami has a current valuation of 42.5 billion Yen. This is split between their video game releases and the health and fitness division of the corporation. We feel safe in assuming that with the game releases hitting over the 100 million copies sold mark, then add an extra 100,000 downloads, it's a good bet that the lion's share of the profit is thanks to the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise.