For years, decades even, this time of year has left gamers with one decision to make – FIFA or PES. EA or Konami. For the most part it’s the might of EA which has won over football fans, what with the cash cow that is Ultimate Team and the collaborative effort that is Pro Clubs ensuring FIFA has managed to top the table. But Konami have a new strategy up their sleeve – a full-on rebrand. It’s time to welcome eFootball to the pitch with it’s free-to-play goodness tempting in all.
Available to download right now free of charge is eFootball 2022. Now, whether you like the name (we don’t), or whether you totally agree with Konami’s new ‘live service strategy’ (we don’t), you cannot fail to be impressed with what they are doing here.
eFootball 2022 arrives right in line with the FIFA 22 release, pushed out to market on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5 and PC through both Windows 10 and Steam, absolutely free to play. Yep, that’s right – to get involved with eFootball and Konami’s evolving strategy, you need to pay up absolutely nothing.
If you decide that is for you, then today you’ll discover the game, with some serious caveats. For instance, the free route now available is very limited in structure, giving you the chance to play through a local match using one of 9 pre-selected teams; the big hitters in the world of football – FC Barcelona, FC Bayern München, Juventus, Manchester United, Arsenal FC, SC Corinthians Paulista, CR Flamengo, CA River Plate, São Paulo FC.
With 6 stadiums in place too – Camp Nou, Old Trafford, Allianz Stadium, Emirates Stadium, Allianz Arena, eFootball Stadium – if you’re happy to just dip your toe into what eFootball has to offer, this is the option you need in your life. After all, it’s free to play so there’s absolutely no harm done by giving it a whirl.
Comparing eFootball with what FIFA has on offer is totally unfair, but it’s something that many will no doubt do. We think it’s best to hold off until what we would deem the ‘proper launch’ a little later down the line though as in our eyes this free-to-play offering feels like nothing but a demo. That’s all fine and good, but we’re worried many may take a look, find massive restrictions in place and then hunt down a transfer through the EA agents.
We may be wrong and we’re pretty sure that Konami and their marketing team know an awful lot more about the gaming market than us. Here’s hoping for a good outcome.
It’ll be the autumn when eFootball really kicks off in our eyes, and it’ll be then when we get fully involved in everything eFootball 2022 has to offer, looking to pile our thoughts into a review then. You see, as a ‘live service’, 2022 will change up dramatically, adding in new game modes, more teams, online capabilities and more – in fact, it’s the autumn when it looks like eFootball 2022 will be the game that we begin to know and love. With a whole new game engine in place, the promise from Konami that eFootball 2022 will constantly be updated and amended, there’s some serious hope for what is to come. And then further on past that, there are even more brilliant ideas promised with more game modes and features thrown out at a decent little rate.
For now though we’re stuck with a fancy demo pushed out through a free-to-play option.
If that is for you, head on over to the digital store of your choosing. We’ll be giving it a go on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S so will pick up our download from the Xbox Store. You’ll be able to find it on PlayStation and PC too.
Let us know if you decide to take to the pitch with eFootball 2022. Are you absolutely fine with the limitations delivered here, or will you be waiting for the ‘proper’ release further down the line? Let us know in the comments.
Game Description:
From “PES” to “eFootball™” Get ready to kick off a new era of football with “eFootball™ 2022”! ■ Football Evolved PES, the iconic football game series, has been rebranded to “eFootball™” this year. This change signals a new era of virtual football, with enhanced graphics and gameplay. Get ready to enjoy a brand-new football experience that only eFootball™ 2022 can offer! ■ A New Engine for a New Era Our ultimate goal has always been to create the perfect head-to-head experience. That’s why we’ve developed a new game engine, changing the game from the ground up. This engine provides a completely new way to showcase player animations, a focus on 1v1 matchups and updated commands for on and off the ball. ■ eSports Without Borders The ultimate eSports platform should know no limits when it comes to platform. With future updates, all football fans will be able to match against any other users, no matter whether they play on console, PC or mobile. To top it off, official eSports tournaments will be held in collaboration with leagues and clubs from around the globe!
