RIP PES or RIP FIFA? – Deepening on the eFootball announcement

Some days ago Konami unhooked an ad that shook the playful stage of the soccer video and subsequently thundered, revealing eFootball.

In fact, eFootball is the new name for the Japanese company’s soccer simulation, effectively ditching the PES name and embracing the free-play philosophy. Yes, free.

Following this announcement, the hashtag “RIP PES” became a trend on Twitter, with many fans on Reddit also expressing their frustration.

But how can such a redundant ad generate so much discontent?

First of all, many users have apparently complained about a graphical degradation of the game during the eFootball reveal, despite the transition to the new graphics engine. Unreal Engine 4. This could be based on the new multiplatform philosophy adopted by Konami also with iOS and Android systems, in order to run the game in a balanced way even on mobile devices.

In this regard, he addressed the microphones of IGN.com, Seitaro Kimura, producer of the series who wanted to reassure the fans:

“We continue to create console games first. So we take the exact same experience and make it available for mobile devices. In other words, we are not making the game for mobile devices, but we are working to make mobile devices more similar to consoles. ”

So, in theory, we can sleep soundly, until the first eFootball game is released in late August, in conjunction with Gamescom Cologne.

But now comes the hot potato: what content will the development team produce to keep up with or even surpass the giant FIFA?

From what has been seen and understood thus far, several content windows will follow in which the free-to-play experience of eFootball will take shape. It will kick off in early autumn with the launch of some licensed clubs that can be used locally: FC Barcelona, ​​Juventus, FC Bayern, Manchester United and other clubs. In the future, some game modes will be available for purchase as optional DLC, such as the Master League, which will give players the freedom to shape the football experience that best suits their interests.

Let’s say a snack of content, anticipating the launch of the most profitable mode for Konami, MyClub, or rather Team Building Mode, which still has no official name and will be launched in late autumn. And who will be, in fact, the true contender for FIFA Ultimate Team.

The Japanese company was quite vague about this information. He has already accustomed us to free versions of the PES series, through the publication of the LITE variants, but what we wonder is how this type of solution can be raised, in order to attract fans and new users, in addition to the classic . use of microtransactions.

A quite plausible hypothesis that came to mind, reading the words Match Pass System, is the use of a progression system similar to Warzone’s Battle Pass. As you play and level up, you will be able to unlock content such as player cards and in-game coins. Obviously, with the use of microtransactions, these contents can certainly be doubled or tripled. We just have to figure out the balance Konami will use between these rewards. In older titles, earning in-game coins has always been very good, through Matchday, completing challenges against Com, and simply logging into the game.

Through the announcement of eFootball, Konami itself has ensured that it will regularly support and release new content and game modes after launch. This phrase is very important, As in recent years MyClub mode has advanced in terms of entertainment, but has never been able to keep interest high in the long term, repeatedly posting the same legendary or iconic player cards and not posting “new” challenges. In short, at the moment, it almost seems that eFootball, at its launch, is a more extensive version and continuous support of what PES LITE has been in recent years.

It is correct to make one last consideration: making a football title free may seem like a risky measure, but also a wise and correct measure for users, since making consumers pay every year for a content of “copy and paste “from the previous year does not generate loyalty, on the contrary it infuriates and abandons the support of the game. Following this reasoning, each user is free to purchase the content they consider most appropriate for their video playback experience, as long as there is a good variety of content.

Konami, now he’s passing the ball to you.