FIFA 21 adds murdered teenage player Kiyan Prince to raise awareness of knife crime

Aspiring soccer star Kiyan Prince who was tragically murdered 15 years ago has been added to FIFA 21, to raise awareness surrounding knife crime.

Prince is being added to FIFA 21 today, May 18, 2021, as it's the fifteenth anniversary of Prince's death, when he stepped in to break up a fight outside his school and received a fatal stab wound. Prince is being added to Queen's Park Rangers squad in-game with the number 30, allowing players to witness his talent virtually.

👑 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞.On the 1️⃣5️⃣th anniversary of his death. 𝗞𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 returns to life as the professional footballer he should have been 💙@easportsfifa 𝘅 @thekpf#QPR | #LongLiveThePrince pic.twitter.com/csbZBvhvhQMay 18, 2021

The FIFA 21 development team at EA has used technology to create an image of what Prince would look like today, and it's this version of the star that's been added to the game. Additionally, QPR has assigned Prince the number 30 to mark how old he'd be now if his life hadn't been cut tragically short.

"I broke down when I saw Kiyan’s in-game character for the first time," said father Dr. Mark Prince, who helped set up the Kiyan Prince Foundation to educate young people in London about knife crime. "Through this campaign, my hope is that the world finally gets to glimpse Kiyan’s incredible potential fulfilled. We get to honour his talent and, hopefully, we can inspire other kids to honour their own talent too."

"I want my son to be remembered not for the tragedy of his death but for the triumph of his achievements," Dr. Prince continued. "Through this campaign my hope is that the world finally gets to glimpse Kiyan's incredible potential fulfilled. We get to honor his talent. And, hopefully, we can inspire other kids to honor their own talent too - whatever their own strengths might be."

Right now, FIFA 21 players on PC can encounter Prince in-game via either Kick-Off Mode or Career Mode. Tomorrow on May 19, Prince will debut for players on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, and will also be added to the game's Ultimate Team mode. Finally, EA has said it is donating money to the Kiyan Prince Foundation, for licensing the player's likeness.