Footballing legend Diego Maradona has threatened to sue PES 2017 maker Konami over what he claims is unlicensed use of his likeness.
The Argentinian great has kicked up a fuss after discovering his name and likeness were being used in the latest instalment of the PES franchise, seemingly without his permission.
Although the man with the hand of God retired from professional football, he’s still present in the current game.
Instead of being an optional extra for one of his old clubs, he features in a ‘Legends’ team alongside the likes of Gary Lineker, Ronaldinho and Hristo Stoichkov.
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Making the announcement on his official Facebook page, Maradona wrote: “I heard yesterday that the Japanese company Konami uses my images for its game PES 2017.
“Unfortunately, my lawyer Matias Morla will initiate the corresponding legal actions. I hope this is not another scam.”
Although the PES franchise has featured players with striking resemblances to real life people in the past, in this instance, they’ve backed it up by using Maradona’s name alongside the character too.
With rival franchise FIFA holding the exclusive rights to the majority of teams and players, PES players are more accustomed to fielding teams such as North London Reds and Merseyside Blues rather than Arsenal and Everton.
PES 2017 closed the game to rival FIFA thanks to a number of new gameplay features.
This year’s title, presumably PES 2018, is likely to launch in late September.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
