Konami have announced eFootball, a free-to-play soccer game from the makers of Pro Evolution Soccer and Winning Eleven.

“eFootball” was also the name of the Pro Evolution Soccer esports series, before the Pro Evolution Soccer games were rebranded to eFootball PES 2020. 

As stated in the press release (via email), the free-to-play title has uses the Unreal Engine and “represents a fresh approach for the long-running franchise.”

Series Producer Seitaro Kimura did not share too many gameplay details, but boasted how the game delivered more realistic and expressive professional soccer players.

“Starting with the strong foundations of Unreal® Engine, which has allowed us to massively overhaul player expression, we’ve made a number of modifications to virtually create a new football game engine that will power eFootball™ for years to come. With the added power of new-generation consoles and by working closely with elite footballers, eFootball™ delivers our most tense and realistic gameplay to date. We’ll share specific gameplay details next month, so stay tuned.”

Utilizing Motion Matching, the movement of a player on the pitch can be converted into animations, adding to the realism. The game will boast four times as many animations as prior titles.

The digital-only title will also be supported by regular new content and game modes after launch. Certain game modes will be sold as optional DLC. More details about gameplay and online modes will be revealed in late August.

You can find the announcement trailer and roadmap below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzd7OpCHCi0

Early Fall:

• All-new gameplay experience, powered by Unreal® Engine
• Cross-generation matchmaking (i.e. PlayStation^®5 vs. PlayStation^®4, Xbox Series X|S vs. Xbox One)
• Local matches featuring FC Barcelona, Juventus, FC Bayern, Manchester United and more

Fall:

• Cross-platform matchmaking between consoles and PC (i.e. PlayStation^®5 vs. Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation^®5 vs. PC Steam^®, etc.)
• Team Building Mode (Name TBC) opened – build your own team by acquiring players
• Online Leagues (Name TBC) opened – take your original team and compete in a global, competitive league
• Match Pass system – earn items and players by playing eFootball™

Winter:

• Mobile controller support added
• Full cross-platform matchmaking across all available platforms including mobile when using a compatible controller
• Professional and amateur esports tournaments kick-off

eFootball launches Fall 2021 worldwide for Windows PC (via Steam), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and coming soon to Android, and iOS.