After 20 years, Konami today has changed the name of its popular soccer video game franchise from Pro Evolution Soccer (aka Winning Eleven in Japan) to eFootball.
For Konami, it’s not just a change in the name of its soccer series. Later this year, the game will become free-to-play and it will be available on almost all platforms.
Konami mentioned the game will be coming to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Windows 10 (PC), Steam (PC), iOS, and Android.
“Furthermore, in the near future it will become completely cross-platform, allowing everyone to join the fun without being held back by their device of choice,” says the new eFootball page. “eFootball™ will take eSports to the next level, becoming the ultimate soccer experience!”
Also new will be “a new soccer engine with a newly built animation system and revamped game commands.” The purpose of Motion Matching (based on Unreal Engine 4) is to bring the feel of real soccer to the game.
Previously, Konami had made use of its Fox Engine, which was developed by Kojima Productions for its Metal Gear Solid titles.
The current eFootball page also shows a roadmap of the new features, events and modes that will arrive in the upcoming months.
Though the cross-platform matching feature have been announced, it won’t be ready once the game makes its debut. Also, compatibility will start with cross-generation matches in early autumn. This way, PS4 owners will be able to play matches against PS5 owners. Likewise, Xbox One players will be able to show their skills against Xbox Series players.
Check out the current eFootball roadmap:
Early Autumn:
- All-new game engine rollout
- Local Matches using renowned clubs (such as FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Juventus, FC Bayern)
- Cross-generation matches (i.e. PlayStation 5 vs. PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S vs. Xbox One)
Autumn:
- Online Leagues (Name To Be Confirmed) opened
- Team Building Mode (Name TBC) opened
- Cross-platform matches (console and PC)
- Match Pass system
Winter:
- Esports tournaments kick-off
- Full cross-platform matches (Console, PC and mobile)
- Mobile controller support
The six-minute debut trailer introduces fans shows more about the new engine, along with comments from Messi, Neymar Jr., and others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzd7OpCHCi0
[Sources]: eFootball: Home Page (English) – [Archive]; Home Page (Spanish – Mexico) – [Archive]. IGN: How Unreal Engine Helped Turn PES Into eFootball – [Archive].
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