Could PES’ eFootball Overhaul Finally See It Dent FIFA’s Dominance?
The Beatles or the Rolling Stones? Coca-Cola or Pepsi?
PlayStation or Xbox?
Life is full of decisions that, in the fluffiest of ways,
define you as a person. And the same has been the case in the decade-long
battle for dominance between the FIFA and PES soccer game franchises.
FIFA is the Beatles of soccer gaming. It has the polished
look and feel, the mainstream appeal, and the captive audience, making it the
choice for both ardent fans of the sport and more casual gamers, alike.
PES, meanwhile, has that sort of renegade feel of the
Rolling Stones. Not as aesthetically pleasing as FIFA and without the bells and
whistles in its production, there's still something incredibly edifying about
playing a game of soccer using Konami’s match engine. The players move in a
more realistic fashion, and the ball physics of PES are still light years ahead
of the efforts of EA Sports.
However, one key difference between the Rolling Stones and
PES is that the latter does not have the sales to back up its cult status.
Perhaps that’s why Konami have gone back to the drawing
board and given the franchise a complete do-over. It will return
in the fall known as eFootball, with a completely new game engine
(developed with Unreal 4) and additional player and club licenses to add to
those available in the 2020 release.
With a revamped Master League returning alongside a host of
new game modes, eFootball will take some of the old and mix it with a blend of
the new, though the release schedule will be phased over a number of
months.
Initially, only exhibition matches will be available from
early autumn onwards, before online leagues and an unspecified
team-building mode will be rolled out in the autumn. As such, eFootball
might just beat FIFA to the punch at a time when many gamers have set their
fantasy teams in stone. This won't be the only potential drama observed by
soccer fans this summer.
With the Premier League due to kick off shortly, many fans
will be settling into the new season. As it presently stands, bookies have
already pegged Man City as outright
winners with 4/6 odds in football betting markets. Of
course, several notable players within the EPL will be under particular
scrutiny following their performances on the international stage during the
Euros, earlier this year. With only a few weeks to recover between the
tournament and the beginnings of the most popular football league in the world,
it remains to be seen whether the likes of Harry Kane, up for a potential
fourth Golden Boot, can deliver.
Will we be seeing the same predictable titans rule the EPL
this season, or is there scope for some underdogs to rule the roost? And after
years of being overshadowed by FIFA, with this new rebranding, could this
finally be the year that Konami take down the EA Sports juggernaut?
Cross-console
and Free to Play
One of the other incredibly interesting things about
eFootball is that Konami
have confirmed it will be free-to-play. Gamers will be able to download it
without charge and play as their favorite teams within minutes/hours (depending
on their broadband speeds). The firm hasn’t revealed how it intends to monetize
eFootball as yet, although some kind of Match Pass system is expected.
Free to play 🤝 Cross platform #FIFA23
— Donk | #FIFA22 (@DonkTrading) July 17, 2021
One notable Twitter user and FIFA fan, Donk Trading,
has claimed that FIFA also intends to go free-to-play from 2022 and that they
will also implement another eFootball innovation – cross-console compatibility.
In short, you will be able to play online games against
anyone, regardless of the console they play. Even mobile gamers will be
able to enjoy cross-play, although they will need a control pad in order to
take on PS and Xbox opponents.
These are some of the most interesting and revolutionary
updates in soccer gaming for quite some time and that’s great news for
players.
