PES no longer exists, eFootball is coming which will be free

Konami just killed Pro Evolution Soccer. More precisely, they killed PES as the name of the game - as it was rumored, from now on we will only have eFootball ™.

But some will say that Konami has just killed his long-running football simulation because there will no longer be PES games that will be paid for and able to be bought on disc. eFootball will be a free game (free-to-play format), exclusively digital.

But if we look at it from a more positive side, eFootball will have what FIFA does not have - full cross-platform functionality. This means players from all platforms will be able to play with each other. And when we say all platforms we mean PC, PS5, PS4, XBO, XSX / S, and Android and iOS platforms.

It’s hilarious until we remember how much gamers on the PC like to cheat in PES, but hey - I guess there will be an option to choose the platforms for which cross-play is included.

Now, this practically means that the demo that could be played recently on the PS5 console is the new PES. We say really because the game looked below average by PES standards, let alone the new generation of consoles. Konami states that eFootball on PS5 and XSX / S will have the "last cry" of graphics and judging by the first video, I wouldn't say that the graphics are bad - they just focused on the players - more than anything else. However, they also cite a new system of animations for the movements of football players.

What does the transition to a free-to-play model mean for offline modes? Well, this is for sure: if you want to play the Master League, you won’t get it for free but you’ll have to buy that mod separately. It’s just a question of when it will be possible to buy it at all.

We only know that after the launch of the game, nothing will be like the classic PES experience because eFootball will be a kind of early access title. First, in the early fall, they will be able to play local matches with nine licensed clubs - practically single-player demos, then cross-gen matches between PS5 and PS4 consoles, and separately XSX / S and XBO platforms. Later in the fall, online leagues arrive, something like myClub mode, and cross-platform support. Winter tours, full cross-platform and mobile versions are coming for the winter. 

All in all, this is a project that will evolve over the years, and eFootball will be updated on a seasonal basis. In other words, one should not expect another game in parallel with this one - eFootball is here to stay.