Pro Evolution Soccer - or PES - is officially coming to an end. In its place, Konami are launching eFootball, a brand-new platform across consoles.
eFootball is set to be a digital-only game for consoles, PC and mobile with cross-play, with the game set to be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, plus Windows 10 and PC, with Android and iOS versions coming later. There's no word yet on a Nintendo Switch edition.
It's set to be built on Unreal Engine, according to Konami - another first for the gaming giants - and is apparently going to use "Motion Matching", which "converts the vast range of movements that players make on the pitch into a series of animations, selecting the most accurate one in real-time".
The game is set for an early August release and will apparently have new content and modes added regularly - so you'll get new downloads and updates rather than having to purchase a new game every year.
This is the first major football game to take a "Fortnite" approach to eSports, in which gamers can compete across platforms against each over on a free platform. These days, gaming companies tend to make more money from in-game purchases than they do from the sale of the game itself; EA, for example, tend to make most of their money through their FIFA Ultimate Team franchise.
It looks like this could be the model that Konami are set to employ.
"In the future, certain game modes will be sold as optional DLC, giving players the freedom to build an experience that follows their interests," the company claim.
eFootball will launch with exhibition matches and seemingly a selection of 9 clubs to play with, thought to be Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Corinthians, Flamengo, Juventus, Manchester United, River Plate and Sao Paolo.
