PES developers Konami now faces a race against time to find a new cover star, now that Neymar is en-route to Paris Saint Germain.
The Brazilian features on the cover of the Barcelona edition of the game – and has featured heavily in the PES 2018 trailer.
But the 25-year-old is now saying goodbye to the Nou Camp and moving to PSG – which is a nightmare for the Konami marketing team.
With PES 2018 launching on September 14 – the publisher is now against the clock to find another suitable Barca player to put on the front cover.
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With aunch looming it’s a distraction the team won’t need as they look to lock horns with EA’s FIFA 18 in September.
Gameplay wise, Konami will also need move Neymar in to the PSG team – and rejig both the Barca and PSG AI accordingly.
Last month, Konami kicked off the PES 2018 online multiplayer beta for the game on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Gamers could test out Quickmatch and 3-vs.-3 online co-operative playing as either the Brazilian or French national teams.