Pro Evolution Soccer Has Been Renamed And Will Be Free-To-Play

Pro Evolution Soccer is no more, with a new free-to-play game taking its place. Watch the announcement trailer here:

For many of us growing up the big question was: "FIFA or PES?"

But now, 26 years on from the release of the first PES, the game is confined to the history books.

FIFA will still have a football gaming adversary though in the form of eFootball, which will launch this autumn on PlayStation, Xbox and PC, before being released on mobile soon after.

A 'greatly evolved football game engine' promises to offer a gaming experience like none before, with the likes of Andrés Iniesta and Gerard Piqué helping developers by modelling their movements and sharing footballing insights.

Seitaro Kimura, eFootball series producer at Japanese developer Konami, said specific gameplay details would be announced next month.

eFootball

He said: "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.

"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."

While we will have to wait until late August for aforementioned details, Konami has touched on how the free-to-play model will work; essentially, it won't all be free.

It said: "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.

eFootball

"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 [downloadable content], giving players the freedom to build an experience that follows their interests."

Topics: GAMING, Football

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey