Some good news and bad news for fans of the eFootball (formerly Pro Evolution Soccer) series. Konami took to Twitter for an official announcement on the latest entry in the rebranded series. According to the eFootball account, the game will launch with zero microtransactions. However, when the game comes out in Autumn, it will be more in line with a demo rather than a finished product.
Konami recently dished that eFootball will be “free-to-play.” No microtransactions at launch means that the soccer sim would be entirely so. That said, the gaming publisher did add that more content is being added during Autumn. Although nothing is confirmed at this moment, it sounds like microtransactions could be looming.
Q: What exactly will be free-to-play at launch?
A: During “Early Autumn”, eFootball™ will have no micro-transactions – so everything will be free-to-play at launch. We will then add more content during “Autumn”. Exact content details to follow.
— eFootball (@play_eFootball) August 2, 2021
Konami also answered a number of gamers questions in regards to consoles and graphics. When asked about whether eFootball is just a mobile game for consoles the publisher answered: “eFootball is developed first for consoles but is a platform for everyone to enjoy. The game will take full advantage of the hardware capabilities of each supported device.”
The eFootball publisher went on to respond to graphical questions about next-gen playing down to mobile stating: “We will make graphical adjustments to the mobile version but the next-generation graphics on consoles and PC will not be downgraded.”
The free-to-play game launches in digital form only this Autumn. PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PS5, Series X/S, and PC will all see a release. Mobile versions for both iOS and Android will also be available at a later date. Konami has stated that all versions will feature cross-platform play by winter at the latest.