Konami have changed the name of PES to eFootball and becomes free to play. The new game will be built using the Unreal Engine rather than Konami’s in house Fox Engine. The game will have cross-play between consoles to begin with and then cross-play between PC and consoles later on. The game is due for release this Autumn.
Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. today announced eFootball™, an all-new football simulation platform from the makers of PES and Winning Eleven. Free-to-play and completely rebuilt in Unreal® Engine, eFootball™ will launch worldwide first on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows® 10 and PC Steam® this Autumn, with iOS and Android to follow soon after.
A new brand identity for a new generation of consoles and players, eFootball™ represents a fresh approach for the long-running franchise, previously known as Pro Evolution Soccer and Winning Eleven.
Starting with the strong foundations of Unreal® Engine, which has allowed us to massively overhaul player expression, we’ve made a number of modifications to virtually create a new football game engine that will power eFootball™ for years to come,” said Seitaro Kimura, eFootball™ series Producer at Konami Digital Entertainment. With the added power of new-generation consoles and by working closely with elite footballers, eFootball™ delivers our most tense and realistic gameplay to date. We’ll share specific gameplay details next month, so stay tuned.”
Thanks to the greatly evolved football game engine, the animation system has also been overhauled. New technology called “Motion Matching” converts the vast range of movements that players make on the pitch into a series of animations, selecting the most accurate one in real-time. The system provides more than four times as many animations as before, achieving highly realistic movement. “Motion Matching” will be utilised across all eFootball™ platforms, including last-gen consoles, PCs and mobile.
Ensuring that eFootball™ is an experience that everyone can enjoy, KONAMI’s new football game is free-to-play across console, PC and mobile. Importantly, eFootball™ will also present a fair and balanced experience for all players. More details about gameplay and online modes will be revealed in late August.
As a digital-only title, KONAMI will regularly add new content and game modes after launch this Autumn. Local matches featuring FC Barcelona, Juventus, FC Bayern, Manchester United and others will be available, for free, at launch. In the future, certain game modes will be sold as optional DLC, giving players the freedom to build an experience that follows their interests.
Uniting football’s global gaming community for the first time, eFootball™ will offer the same highly realistic esports experience across console, PC and mobile, including full cross-play support post-launch. eFootball™ on mobile will be detailed at a later date.
To ensure open and transparent communication, KONAMI has published the first roadmap for eFootball™, presenting initial details about launch contents and what will be added in the months following.
Early Autumn:
- All-new gameplay experience, powered by Unreal® Engine
- Cross-generation matchmaking (i.e. PlayStation®5 vs. PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S vs. Xbox One)
- Local Matches featuring FC Barcelona, Juventus, FC Bayern, Manchester United and more
Autumn:
- Cross-platform matchmaking between consoles and PC (i.e. PlayStation®5 vs. Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®5 vs. PC Steam®, etc.)
- Team Building Mode (Name TBC) opened – build your own team by acquiring players
- Online Leagues (Name TBC) opened – take your original team and compete in a global, competitive league
- Match Pass system – earn items and players by playing eFootball™
Winter:
- Mobile controller support added
- Full cross-platform matchmaking across all available platforms including mobile when using a compatible controller
- Professional and amateur esports tournaments kick-off
KONAMI is honoured that Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr., two of the greatest footballers of all time, will become global ambassadors for eFootball™. In addition, Andrés Iniesta and Gerard Piqué have been closely involved in development as official advisors for offensive and defensive gameplay, respectively.
Further announcements regarding additional eFootball™ ambassadors and details about Partner Clubs, licensing and more will be shared in the coming weeks.
Source: Konami
