Konami has revealed eFootball, the free-to-play game formerly known as PES, will launch on PC and consoles on September 30.
Although FIFA has been the leading football sim for almost three decades at this point, there has always been one other series attempting to find a way to nip at its heels. Pro Evolution Soccer, which has undergone a name change or two during its run, has never quite managed to match up to FIFA. However, developer Konami will be hoping it has cracked the code via PES's latest makeover.
As was revealed over the summer, PES is no more. It has been replaced by eFootball. A free-to-play model launching on PC and consoles on September 30, as was revealed by Konami this week. The studio previously admitted that eFootball will effectively be a demo at launch, so don't get your hopes up too high for what the unfinished game will look like when you first play it at the end of this month.
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eFootball will include nine playable clubs at launch. Arsenal, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Corinthians, Barcelona, Juventus, Flamengo, River Plate, and Sao Paulo. A mix of major teams from Europe and South America. A handful of stadiums will be included at launch too, including Old Trafford and Barca's Nou Camp.
The only mode available to play on September 30 will be friendlies. Players will be able to compete in matches offline against AI or a friend, or compete online against people with the same system. PS4 players will be able to play against those using a PS5, and the same for Xbox One and Series X|S players, but cross-platform play beyond that will not be coming to eFootball until its autumn update.
Speaking of which, while it doesn't have a confirmed launch date, it shouldn't be too long after eFootball's release date that more modes and features are added. eFootball's first major update will include Creative Team, similar to FIFA's Ultimate Team, a Tour Event, and a quick match mode including more than 600 licensed teams. It will also be available on mobile sometime in the future.
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