In a touching tribute, EA has added Queens Park Rangers hopeful Kiyan Prince to the FIFA 21 roster, 15 years on the day after he was stabbed to death trying to break up a fight at school. Kiyan had signed up as a QPR youth player in 2004, and the club had planned to sign him as a professional.
As a tribute to keep the memory of Prince alive, who would've turned 30 in November 2020, he's now available as a 30 year-old player for QPR in FIFA 21. In a video by the BBC, freelance illustrator Chris Scalf, who designed the model for Prince, said he felt "confident, but not confident enough until I get the final acknowledgement from the people it really matters to,” referring to the model having been designed together with Prince's family and friends. His play style and skills are based on assessments by his former fellow players and coaches.
In response to Prince's murder, a Crime Reduction Bill was passed into law in 2006, raising the age at which a person can purchase a knife from 16 to 18 years. His father, Dr Mark Prince OBE, formed the Kiyan Prince Foundation in 2007, a non-profit organisation fighting knife crime and other youth violence. "People who would've loved Kiyan, who would have been fans of him will never get to meet this individual who would have been a role model and impacted how many millions of individual lives, that's what knife crime does," Prince says about his dedication to combatting knife crime.
Additionally, Les Ferdinand, QPR's Director of Football, believes that "if one person can look at this, who plays FIFA and put his knife down, that's the important legacy we want." For licensing Kiyan Prince's likeness, EA said it is donating to the KPF.
Kiyan Prince is now available in FIFA 21's kick-off and career modes, with custom vanity items available for completing in-game challenges.
