That something was in the air, it was already understood: first the addition of the name "eFootball" to PES 2020, then the release of the 2021 edition as a simple content update of 2020, and then multiple rumors that anticipated a free-to-play transformation of the historic Konami brand, Pro Evolution Soccer.

And so it was: Konami has just announced eFootball,"reinvention" of its football brand in a completely free-to-play and digital form, with a brand new engine recreated starting from theUnreal Engine and a clear roadmap for the release of content and features starting from the beginning of autumn:we will start with the base game without cross-play between different platforms, and then introduce features such as full cross-play support, a paid Match Pass system and eSports tournaments.

Here is all the official information, along with the announcement trailer and some images.

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"Building on the solid foundation of the Unreal® Engine, which has allowed us to recreate and significantly improve player expressions, we have made numerous changes to create a new football graphics engine that will support eFootball™ in the years to come," comments Seitaro Kimura, Konami Digital Entertainment Producer of the eFootball series™. "Thanks to the power offered by the next generation consoles and the work done closely with elite footballers, eFootball™ offers the most intense and realistic gameplay we have ever achieved. We'll show the gameplay in detail next month, so stay tuned."

Thanks to the new and evolved football graphics engine, the animations have also been overhauled and improved. The new technology called "Motion Matching" converts the wide range of movements that players perform on the field into a series of animations, then selecting the most accurate one in real time. The system guarantees a number of animations four times higher than in the past reaching a level of realism never seen before. "Motion Matching" will be used by eFootballâ„¢ on all platforms, including the latest generation consoles, PCs and mobile devices.

To offer a gaming experience within everyone's reach, eFootballâ„¢ will be free-to-play on consoles, PCs and mobile devices. It should be noted that eFootballâ„¢ will guarantee a correct and balanced experience for all players. More details on the gameplay and online modes will be unveiled in late August.

Being a digital-only title, KONAMI will regularly add new content and game modes after launch in the fall. Local matches with FC Barcelona, Juventus, FC Bayern, Manchester United and other clubs will be available for free at launch. In the future, some game modes will be purchasable as optional DLCs, giving players the freedom to shape the football experience that best suits their interests.

By joining the global community for the first time, eFootballâ„¢ will offer the same highly realistic esports experience on consoles, PCs and mobile devices, including full post-launch support for cross-play. eFootballâ„¢ on mobile will be shown in detail in the coming months.

To ensure an open and transparent Communication, KONAMI has published the first eFootball roadmapâ„¢, presenting the first details on the content at launch and what will be added in the following months:

Early autumn:

• Revolutionized gaming experience supported by the Unreal® Engine
• Cross-generation matchmaking (PlayStation^®5 vs. PlayStation^®4, Xbox Series X|S vs. Xbox One, etc.)
• Local matches with FC Barcelona, Juventus, FC Bayern, Manchester United and other clubs

autumn:

• Cross-platform matchmaking between consoles and PC (PlayStation^®5 vs. Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation^®5 vs. PC Steam^®,etc.)
• Team Building mode available – build your team by purchasing players
• Online Championships (Name to confirm) available – take the field with your team to compete globally
• Match Pass system – earn items and players by playing eFootballâ„¢

winter:

• Adding support for mobile controllers
• Complete cross-platform matchmaking across all available platforms, including mobile devices when used with a compatible controller.
• Start professional and amateur esports tournaments

KONAMI is honored that Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr., two of the greatest footballers of all time, are global ambassadors of eFootball™. In addition, Andrés Iniesta and Gerard Piqué were actively involved in the development as official consultants for offensive and defensive play respectively.

New announcements regarding other eFootball Ambassadorsâ„¢ and details about Club Partners, licenses and more will be shared in the coming weeks.