Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) franchise has been given a new name. It will now be called eFootball, a digital game that is completely free to play. The new title, which has already arrived in place of PES 2022, is scheduled for release in the fall of the Northern Hemisphere, between September and November 2021, for PlayStation 5 (PS5), PlayStation 4 (PS4), Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. eFootball will also have versions for Android phones and iPhone (iOS). The game will also feature Brazilian clubs such as Flamengo, Corinthians, and São Paulo.
There is no concrete information yet about a possible release for Nintendo Switch. eFootball also cross-play gameplay, which means that players will be able to play each other regardless of platform. In June, a surprise demo of the hitherto named “New Football Game” was released, but it was expected to be a preview of PES 2022.
It is worth noting that the name eFootball is global, both for Japan, where the game is called Winning Eleven and for other countries in the West. The news also comes alongside the implementation of the new engine in the game. Instead of using its engine, called FOX Engine, Konami has opted for Unreal 4, a graphics engine owned by Epic Games, which promises remarkable graphical changes for the virtual soccer game, such as a new animation system.
eFootball will also be the same for all platforms, from next-gen consoles to cell phones. As such, PES Mobile will likely be discontinued after the arrival of the new game. At launch, players will be able to play exhibition matches with up to nine official teams, including the Brazilians Sports Club Corinthians Paulista, Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, and São Paulo Futebol Clube.
Eventually, players will be able to purchase new game modes as DLC, which means that they will only pay for what they want. There is no further information regarding MyClub, the mode that allows players to create teams with virtual money, nor how new teams will be added in the future. There are also questions about the in-game monetization system, but Konami has stated that it will be fair and balanced for all players.
One game mode that should follow in eFootball is Master League, the famous career mode in PES, but it will have a new name that will be shown after the release. Konami has confirmed that more news regarding gameplay and online modes will be announced in August, probably around the same time as Gamescom 2021, the famous computer and video game show that will take place digitally.
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