Konami Digital Entertainment announces eFootball, their all-new football simulation platform. Konami will be launching eFootball as a free-to-play title Autumn 2021, first on PS4 / PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, Windows 10 and PC via Steam. iOS and Android versions will follow soon after.
Completely rebuilt in Unreal Engine, eFootball marks a brand new identity for a new generation of consoles and players, representing a fresh approach for the long-running franchise, previously known as Pro Evolution Soccer and Winning Eleven.
“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.”
Seitaro Kimura, eFootball™ series Producer at Konami Digital Entertainment
The greatly evolved football game engine has allowed for many overhauls, such as Motion Matching where the most accurate movement animation is selected in real time. Gameplay and online mode details will be revealed late August. The digital-only title will see regular additions of new content and game modes post-launch. 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, giving players the freedom to build an experience that follows their interests.
The global football gaming community will be able to enjoy he same highly realistic esports experience across console, PC and mobile, including full cross-play support post-launch. eFootball on mobile will be detailed later.
Konami has also released a roadmap of content coming to eFootball, as listed below:
Early Autumn:
- All-new gameplay experience, powered by Unreal® Engine
- Cross-generation matchmaking (i.e. PlayStation®5 vs. PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S vs. Xbox One)
- Local Matches featuring FC Barcelona, Juventus, FC Bayern, Manchester United and more
Autumn:
- Cross-platform matchmaking between consoles and PC (i.e. PlayStation®5 vs. Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®5 vs. PC Steam®, etc.)
- Team Building Mode (Name TBC) opened – build your own team by acquiring players
- Online Leagues (Name TBC) opened – take your original team and compete in a global, competitive league
- Match Pass system – earn items and players by playing eFootball™
Winter:
- Mobile controller support added
- Full cross-platform matchmaking across all available platforms including mobile when using a compatible controller
- Professional and amateur esports tournaments kick-off
Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. will be global ambassadors for the game. In addition, Andrés Iniesta and Gerard Piqué have been closely involved in development as official advisors for offensive and defensive gameplay, respectively. Further announcements regarding ambassadors, Partner Clubs, licensing and such forth will be shared in time.
You can check out the game’s official website here.