Konami: PES has "lost ground" to FIFA in UK but EA's stats show "a fair bit of manipulation"

Jon Murphy, PES team leader, has admitted the Pro Evolution Soccer series has "lost ground" to FIFA in the UK, but feels EA's figures which state it is outselling the Konami franchise 25:1 show "a fair bit of" statistical manipulation.

Speaking with Eurogamer, Murphy said EA's figures don't provide "the full picture" across all territories.

"I think right now, there's been a fair bit of manipulation of statistics to suit people," he said. "When you say 'on the back foot', I totally disagree. We're now on the front foot in terms of quality of product and in terms of innovation. We believe sales will follow."

With a strong PES following in Europe, and the more popular of the two in Japan, Murphy said the firm needs to continue to up the bar annually, and doesn't feel there needs to be a change in release scheduling.

"For the time being I don't see a change in the way that PES is released," answered Murphy, when asked about Konami's annual strategy. "That may change as the market develops."

Konami announced in its latest financial statement that Pro Evo moved 2.93 million copies during the first half of the current fiscal year. These figures have brought the game’s unit total to 7.36 million sold worldwide.