Konami landed a massive blow to EA Sports on Tuesday with the announcement that Juventus have signed an exclusive deal with Pro Evolution Soccer. 

The partnership means that PES will be the only football game that includes the Serie A champions, with FIFA 20 forced to include an unlicensed team named ‘Piemonte Calcio’ instead. 

"The new and exciting partnership with Konami will see the eFootball PES series have exclusive use of Juventus intellectual property within football video games," a statement from the club read. 

Of course, licensing and partnerships between football clubs and game developers are nothing new, but this 'exclusive' deal between PES and Juve is quite rare. 

A number of teams, including the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, AC and Inter Milan, were all 'official partners' with PES last year - but appeared fully licensed in FIFA too.

So the fact that EA Sports have lost Juve and will be forced to include a Pro Evo style 'fake' team in their upcoming game is a massive blow. 

But, it seems they won't be taking this news lightly, because just hours after Konami made their announcement, EA made one of their own. 

The California-based developer revealed that they have agreed on a deal to make Liverpool an 'official video game partner' in FIFA 20. 

According to the Mirror, under the terms of the multi-year agreement, EA will produce content specifically for the Reds and their supporters around the world. 

"Both on and off the pitch, we always challenge ourselves to bring our fans around the world closer to the club that they love," Liverpool's managing director and CCO, Billy Hogan said.

"Our partnership with EA SPORTS will enable us to give our supporters even more opportunities to engage with Liverpool FC through the innovative and exciting world of gaming."

Samanta Ebelthite, EA's UK&I Country Manager added: "We always strive to blur the lines between the virtual and real worlds of football."

"By partnering with Liverpool FC, we are delighted to continue breaking new ground, providing unrivalled authenticity to fans across the globe.

"It’s fantastic to become the club’s official football simulation game partner and we’re looking forward to working with the European Champions over the course of the partnership." 

This will no doubt come as exciting news for Liverpool fans, who don't have to worry about being in the same boat as Juve supporters. 

It's unclear where this partnership leaves PES - after all, the Champions League winners and their stadium was licensed in last year's release. That's highly unlikely this time around though, but only time will tell.