Konami unveiled our first look at eFootball today, the rebranded free-to-play Pro Evo, highlighting a range of new features in a six minute trailer. Pro Evo has been a mainstay in the football sim genre for decades, but has always played second best to FIFA. In the mid '00s, it seemed within touching distance of EA's offering, its more technical style of football offering a serious rival to FIFA's fast paced, arcade interpretation of the game. However, a lack of licensing and polish held it back, and it has since faded from view, while Ultimate Team propelled FIFA to world domination – or at least, what feels like it.
eFootball is here to shake things up. Convincing players to abandon FIFA for Pro Evo is a difficult task, and one Konami has largely failed at in recent years. However, by going free-to-play, eFootball will definitely turn some heads. Though its release date is still unknown, it is expected in 'Autumn', while FIFA 22 launches on October 1.
Related: FIFA Makes Enough From Ultimate Team To Follow eFootball's Lead
The game will launch with European clubs Manchester United, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Barcelona, as well as South American giants Corinthians, River Plate, Sao Paolo, and Flamengo. These will be playable in local matches and in cross-gen online games. Then, in late Autumn, cross-platform games will also be added, along with online leagues, Team Building mode, and a Match Pass system, which is basically a battle pass. By Winter, esports tournaments will be underway.
The game runs on a whole new engine, with new footage at Gamescom giving us a glimpse of the new, more controlled dribbling and new 'sharp kicks', which are more controlled lofts and drives of the ball – these special kicks will not be there at launch, however, instead arriving in a post-launch update. The trailer also included Gerard Pique and Andres Iniesta, who consulted on the game.
Next: Pro Evo Going Free-To-Play Could Change Everything
