Konami confirms PES4 date, goes head to head with FIFA

One of the most interesting games retail battles of the year is taking shape, in the form of a showdown between the PS2 version of Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 4, and the all-formats launch of EA's FIFA Football 2005.

Both titles are expected to roll out to UK retailers for October 15th, with Konami today confirming that its PS2 football title - the Japanese predecessor of which, Winning Eleven 8, is the fastest-selling game in the series - will launch on that date.

EA's annual FIFA update is still scheduled simply as "October", but is also generally expected to arrive right in the middle of the month. The PC-DVD and Xbox versions of Konami's title will arrive a month later in mid-November.

"The addition of licensed clubs, vastly improved gameplay, and its association with some of the biggest names in football in Henry, Totti and Collina prove how important [PES4] is to Konami," according to the firm's European marketing and PR director Martin Schneider, "and we anticipate huge sales as eager fans queue for their copies on October 15th."

Last Christmas saw Konami's football series picking up significant numbers of sales in the UK market, but Pro Evolution Soccer 3 was still ultimately eclipsed by the sales figures of EA's FIFA 2004.