Deal signed with Professional Football Union

Ever wondered why some football games use real player names and others don't? We have. Why have Alan Shealer and not Alan Shearer? It's certainly a murky area and one which never seems to have been clarified.

Sony have taken steps to sort out the situation by signing a five year licensing deal with FIFPro, the Federation of International Professional Football Unions. According to trade paper CTW, Sony will exclusively represent the association in the sub-licensing of player names in football titles from other companies. Sony's own This Is Football, due in October on the PlayStation, will be the first to bear the FIFPro tag.

Gordon Taylor, President of FIFPro, told CTW: "Through our new long-term relationship with SCEE, we will seek not only to promote the FIFPro mark, but also actively support and co-ordinate players' interests within the videogames industry."

It'll be interesting to see if other companies continue to use real player names, regardless of the deal.