PES rebrands as new, free-to-play eFootball in major overhaul of the classic football video game
eFootball is set to be a digital-only game similar to Fortnite, with no more yearly updates

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.
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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.
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.

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