PES (Pro Evolution Soccer) has been FIFA’s most prominent rival since 2001. While FIFA has massive global appeal, PES has slowly focused more on the eSports side of gaming to gain more traction; This is one of the reasons why PES was re-branded to eFootball. In addition, Konami has converted its long-running football title to a free-to-play game with massive annual updates. eFootball could be the start of many sports titles going free-to-play, with Madden and FIFA possibly following suit. Many questions remain about how the free-to-play model will affect eFootball in the future, but we will know when the game releases later this fall. Here is everything we know about eFootball 2022.
eFootball going free-to-play
When Konami announced that its newest football title would be free-to-play, many fans were shocked by the decision. Konami has struggled throughout the pandemic to release a brand new eFootball PES title for over a year now. The latest title was eFootball PES 2021, which was only a mere seasonal update that was a reskin of PES 2020.
Since eFootball is officially free-to-play, it gives Konami the chance to break the game down and build it back up with updates base on player feedback. After launch, Konami plans to update the game with more clubs, new modes, and more licensed players. Hopefully, this new platform will become a leading example of how AAA sports games can succeed using the free-to-play model.
Gameplay features
Last week, we got our first look at eFootball gameplay. Konami has switched its football title to the Unreal 4 engine to improve gameplay and graphics. In addition, Konami is using a new technology called “match motion” to improve 1v1 situations on the football pitch. This technology evaluates player’s movement, body direction, and physicality to determine the outcome in 1v1 duels. In addition, Konami has reworked many mechanics, including defense, playstyles, and ball control. All these improvements will be powered by match motion to influence overall gameplay.
eFootball has always been more tactical than FIFA, but just not as fluid gameplay-wise. Hopefully, these additions to the gameplay make eFootball 2022 look realistic and feel smoother. Hopefully, Konami continues to focus on gameplay with future updates.
Game Modes & Updates
So far, eFootball will have only nine clubs and feature PvP online matches. At launch, cross-generation matches will be available, but cross-platform matches are not in the game for now.
Later this year, Konami plans to introduce a new feature called “creative team.” This mode is a reworked MyClub clone that features seasons, weekly objectives, and eFootball coins. Players will create a club, sign players, and managers to fill their squad. From there, you can play online against users to complete objectives and earn eFootball coins. There is also a player development system that improves player’s stats and abilities. While this mode seems promising, we hope to see more popular modes like Master League and Become A legend added into the game.
eFootball has gone free-to-play and will take time for it to become a game all players can enjoy. Fans will have to trust Konami and give feedback on the game to influence updates. Hopefully, we see the return of popular game modes like Master League in the future; and updates that make the game better each year. eFootball 2022 will release for console and PC on September 30.
