Long Live O Rei
Pelé, the king of soccer and video games: his career on the virtual turf
We take a look at Pelé's career in video games, from Atari 2600 to FIFA and Rocket League. A tribute to O Rei, a timeless soccer legend.
O Rei. The King of soccer. The greatest of all time. Pelé passed away on December 29, 2022, at the age of 82, a cancer victim. The soccer family mourns, but his story will remain forever written in fire. His achievements with the ball, especially his 1281 goals in 1363 games, made his achievements transcend beyond the pitch. The video game industry would not be less, and the Brazilian even starred in his own adventure game during all these years. We take a look at his career in the industry.
Pelé did it before ISS and FIFA
The first adventure on the virtual pitch dates back to 1981, no less. We are talking about Pelé's Soccer, a nice soccer arcade game developed by Atari for its Atari 2600 platform. At first, it was known as Championship Soccer, but during development, it was the image of the football star who would end up changing the title, as well as sharing his face both on the cover and in the promotional material. In fact, in future compilations of the company, it returned to its original name after the collaboration expired.
A decade later, in December 1993 in America and January 1994 in Europe, SEGA Genesis was the platform chosen to see the release of Pelé! The videogame was the work of Radical Entertainment, which would publish it together with Accolade. In it, players could control up to 40 selections in a title that favored simulation from an isometric perspective. In June 1994, a sequel, Pelé II: World Tournament Soccer, reduced the number of national teams to 24. Both took into account the inertia of the FIFA World Cup, which was held in the same year in the United States.
Stellar appearances: from academy director to Ultimate Team legend
Although Pelé's career as the protagonist of his own video game was more important during the 20th century, his presence has recently been focused on collaborations. In 2009 we saw him as the director of a magical soccer academy in the Wii title Academy of Champions: Soccer, developed by Ubisoft Vancouver. He shared his tutoring duties with the player Mia Hamm, both in cartoon version. They not only gave soccer lessons to the player's characters but also to other well-known faces from the French company's franchises, such as Prince of Persia, Rayman, and Assassin's Creed, among others.
Leaving aside his starring role in Pelé: Soccer Legend, a video game already withdrawn for iOS and Android devices, where he has had more presence in recent years has been in the EA Sports' FIFA franchise. The Icon items, which celebrate legends who have already retired from the field, have had Pelé as one of the great references. Since FIFA 14 he has not missed a single installment, even with alternative versions of his piece celebrating some of his moments of success.
Pelé's presence in the video game has not gone unnoticed by less traditional formulas, such as Rocket League. Soccer taken to remote-controlled cars celebrated his 80th birthday with three items inspired by his figure: a decal for the car, some wheels and a player's sign. Although they appeared in 2020, from time to time they are part of the store's rotation so that they can be purchased by fans.
Long live O Rei.