Konami dropped a bombshell recently revealing that their upcoming PES 22 (now eFootball 22 or may be now just eFootball) is going to be a free to play title. We already know that the game is being developed on Unreal Engine 5 but since the announcement of F2P model, there is very little we knew about the free-to-play details. However, we will be learning more about the game in coming days.
For now, we have learned a few tidbits about the game thanks to an official FAQ on twitter. One interesting bit is that Konami will be releasing the Master League component of the game as a “Premium DLC” after the release of an initial version:
The Master League will be available as premium downloadable content in the future. Wait for more announcements.
So it seems like Konami is going to follow the traditional F2P model with a lot of premium DLCs and microtransactions. The publisher/developer is hoping to release a bare-bone game as a F2P title initially and then with time, they will keep on adding more content with different updates.
Konami has also revealed in the same FAQ that they are planning to add “option load file” feature for consoles as well with PC. This will definitely help the community to add the un-licenses content in the game. However, the feature can’t be expected at launch and will be made available down the road.
It has also been confirmed that eFootball 22 will offer players different matchmaking options so the cross-play can be turned off if players aren’t up for it. Players will also be able to play with the iOS and Android players with facing any graphics downgrades for the PS5 and Xbox Series versions of the game.
So on paper, Konami is offering a complete packages for eFootball. However, how much of it will be put behind the paywayll, this remains to be seen. One thing is for sure though, the F2P element will bring a lot of new players to the eFootball franchise and if handled well, this decision could be very well be the one counter EA’s FIFA game series.
Konami will be revealing more information about eFootball 22 in coming days so stay tuned for that.