Last month, Konami announced that their long-running sports franchise PES would be rebranded as eFootball and would move to a free-to-play model. The plan as it stands is to launch the game at some point in Autumn, with content for the game being added over time similar to other games like Apex Legends and Fortnite. As it stands this seems to have been a good move since almost right after rumors began to circulate that Fifa would move to the same business model next year.
While a roadmap did lay out a plan for the release of content, including modes similar to those gamers might expect from sports games, there are still some questions up in the air. Ahead of their next major announcement Konami did outline a little of what players can expect at the launch of the game. This came through eFootball’s official Twitter account, which answered several questions from fans.
Q: Is “Early Autumn” launch basically a demo?
A: In many ways, yes. We want people to get hands-on with eFootball™ as soon as possible, so we will launch with a limited number of teams and modes. Exact details to follow.
— eFootball (@play_eFootball) August 2, 2021
The official launch of the game, as stated through these tweets is being treated in many ways like a demo. They state “We want people to get hands-on with eFootball as soon as possible, so we will launch with a limited number of teams and modes. Exact details to follow.”
This means that players adopting the game at launch should expect a work in progress. Since this is a new venture for the franchise this should be expected. However, on the flip side to this, the game will feature no microtransactions either at launch, allowing players the ability to get acclimated without a paywall to hold them back.
Q: What exactly will be free-to-play at launch?
A: During “Early Autumn”, eFootball™ will have no micro-transactions – so everything will be free-to-play at launch. We will then add more content during “Autumn”. Exact content details to follow.
— eFootball (@play_eFootball) August 2, 2021
Although this content will be free, they have been open about the limited nature of their initial content, and that later modes will cost money. This does offer an opportunity for players on the fence to try eFootball and decide if they enjoy it before the company attempts to profit. By that point, most players should know if they feel comfortable paying more down the road.
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