RIP PES trends as eFootball wreaks havoc with Footy franchise loyalists

For those of a certain age, Pro Evolution Soccer is iconic. Back on PlayStation 2, there was a period when Konami’s football franchise was bigger than even FIFA, and although it has been in gradual decline since the PS3 era, many felt that more recent entries surpassed EA Sports’ alternative where it mattered: on the pitch.

In fact, fans of the series even appreciated the organization’s honesty with last year’s installment: eFootball PES 2021: Season Update was actually a roster update and publicized as much, while he was working on a true next-gen installment targeting this year. Many of you will remember the Lionel Messi trailer, which supposedly showed the advancements in the Barcelona striker’s player model.

In fact, even recently, PLAY magazine included an interview with the show’s developers, explaining just how advanced its first PS5 installment would be. Although there were concerns about the Japanese publisher’s recent beta, many believed it was using the smartphone code to test its networking, not its gameplay.

It turns out, in fact, that this is the game Konami has been creating from the start, as it moves into a free cross-platform ecosystem. This is news that, frankly, has not been well received by fans of the release. The term “RIP PES” has been trending on Twitter for most of the day, while the official Reddit community is on fire with frustrated fans.

Reviews are wide and varied, ranging from degrading visuals to making the initial version look more like a demo than a full game. The publisher would expect backlash, of course, but it really does feel like fans of the franchise are stunned by the news. Some even mocked the new eFootball logo, changing the “e” to “€” to reflect the business model.

Konami is, naturally, hoping that free-to-play will bring new players to the series, so it will likely close its ears to critics for now. It’s also worth noting that we haven’t played the last game yet – it could be, after all, the greatest soccer simulation ever. That said, an uphill battle awaits them right now, and the show’s main fan base isn’t just disappointed – they feel like they’ve been duped.