Konami’s UK PES team leader John Murphy admitted that Pro Evolution Soccer has fallen further behind rival FIFA.

In an interview with Eurogamer, Murphy stated “in the UK we’ve definitely lost ground, but that doesn’t give us the full picture across all territories. I think right now, there’s been a fair bit of manipulation of statistics to suit people. We’re now on the front foot in terms of quality of product and in terms of innovation. We believe sales will follow.”

It’s certainly fascinating how time changes preference, with the PES series traditionally considered the better choice over EA’s FIFA. However, over the past few years PES hasn’t been able to keep up with both the aesthetic and technical innovation of the FIFA series, seeing EA’s football simulator rocket to the top of football fan’s popularity list as the go-to game.

All this has led to questions regarding the way in which Konami handles the franchise. Consistently bringing out a new game against what is clearly an unbeatable franchise now seems like a redundant strategy, forcing Konami to perhaps consider different distribution methods like digital content.

“For the time being I don’t see a change in the way that PES is released,” Murphy, insisted. “[Though] that may change as the market develops.”

Do you even consider Pro Evolution Soccer before you purchase FIFA? Or is the gap between the two series so expansive that there’s simply no competition?