Konami ditches ‘PES’, announces free-to-play title ‘eFootball’

Konami has announced eFootball, a new free-to-play digital-only football experience arriving later this year.

eFootball is a new game built from the ground up, implying the developer has dropped PES for the immediate future. In its place is a new free-to-play football game built around the concept of one-vs-one football.

Konami revealed eFootball in an official trailer that went live earlier today (July 21). The trailer dives into the development behind the game, including how the team worked with retired professional footballer Andrés Iniesta and Barcelona centre-back Gerard Piqué.

Working with both players, Konami has designed eFootball around the element of one-on-one football, using a technology called motion matching. This technology takes into account factors like ball movement and running speed to create realistic and engaging reactions.

eFootball will launch across a number of consoles including PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Steam and through mobile devices on Android and iOS. Interestingly, there’s no mention of a Nintendo Switch release in the trailer. Crossplay will also launch some time after release, allowing players across all consoles to compete against one another.

Licensed teams will feature in eFootball, although Konami has not confirmed how many will be in the game. The trailer features the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr. and Thomas Müller, and Barcelona, Manchester United, Juventus, and Bayern Munich football teams.

A roadmap for the game details Konami’s launch plans, as eFootball will launch in several steps. Starting in early Autumn, eFootball will launch with nine licensed teams, local matches and cross-generation multiplayer.

eFootball Credit: Konami

Later in Autumn, an update will introduce online leagues, a team building mode, cross platform matches between console and PC and a match pass system that looks like a season pass.

From Winter, eFootball will have full crossplay support across console, PC and mobile, along with full mobile controller support and the introduction of an eSports tournament.

Elsewhere, Amazon’s New World’s closed beta has reached almost 200,000 players within its first day of going live. It was also incredibly popular on Twitch, amassing over 600,000 viewers.

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