"EA have been extremely aggressive with signing deals with clubs and leagues this year, and it has meant we can't implement major European stadiums, including NO Spanish stadiums," he said.
"People were getting worried when they announced exclusive deals with Spanish teams. Well it turned out it meant we couldn't implement their stadium, amongst others.
"This news came pretty late to us. Which is where a time issue came in, meaning we didn't have time to rebuild other stadiums to replace them. PES 2014 will ship with roughly 20 stadiums."
Bhatti described the loss of the stadium editor - much loved by fans - as "the biggest hit".
"I can't go into it, but this in particular has made the team realise more than ever about acquiring licensing, and we're determined to fight back in this regard next year. If things are removed from edit mode because of licensing each year, it would rip out the soul of PES, and we must not let that happen."
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