Konami’s long-running Pro Evolution Soccer franchise is undergoing some major changes. The annual series skipped its 2020 instalment, and though its coming back later this year, it’s doing so in rather unique fashion, rebranding itself as eFootball, which will be a free-to-play ongoing platform that will replace the series’ usual yearly cadence of releases.
eFootball is due to launch this Autumn, but what exactly is that launch going to entail? According to Konami, you should basically look at it as a demo. The company recently published an FAQ thread via the game’s official Twitter page, and confirmed that the game’s early Autumn launch is essentially a demo, which will launch “with a limited number of teams and modes.” More details will follow soon, but Konami says this is being done so people can “get hands-on with eFootball as soon as possible.”
Konami has further explained that at launch, eFootball will be completely free-to-play with no microtransactions, though that (along with more content) will be added to the game over the course of Autumn. Speaking of microtransactions, Konami also confirms that previous iterations’ loot box-style randomized monetization is being done away with, and will basically be replaced with a battle pass system (called Match Pass). Match Passes will grant rewards based on the number of matches played, and will have both free and paid tiers.
In terms of what’ll be included in the game at launch, you will, of course, be able to play against the AI in single exhibition matches, though the option to edit and customize files is something that won’t be added in until later in the year. Konami says this feature will come to the game as a free update for PS5, PS4, and PC later in 2021- there’s no word yet on what that means for other platforms.
Finally, what about Master League, which is the series’ equivalent of a career mode? Well, that, it seems, is not going to be free. Konami says the Master League will be added to eFootball as premium DLC “in the future.” There’s no word yet on what exactly the pricing model for that will be, or when it will release.
eFootball is due out for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC this Autumn, and will also be releasing for iOS and Android later in the year.