In what is touted as a pro-consumer move, Konami has confirmed that the next installment for the PES series, PES 2021, will be released as a season update instead of a standalone title that will follow PES 2020. It will still be a paid update for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam, but will be available at an “affordable anniversary price” and is said to include several in-game bonuses.
A full message from Konami’s 25th PES anniversary website announced the news. The message started off by saying that Konami is looking to share some of their plans regarding the PES franchise since the launch of next generation of consoles are coming really soon.
“To that end, we are excited to announce that we are hard at work on a next-generation football title that aims to truly embody our core concept of 'The Pitch is Ours,'” the message reads. Here, Konami has confirmed that the upcoming PES title in 2021 will be using Epic’s Unreal Engine for “more realistic player models and animations, enhanced physics, photorealistic visuals, and much much more.” A short teaser trailer of sorts has also been unveiled showcasing a very realistic game model of soccer superstar Lionel Messi. More improvements on the myClub and Master League content are also in the works.
However, due to the sheer magnitude of this undertaking, Konami has decided that it is “necessary to pare back our efforts in other areas of development.” This led to the decision to release PES 2021 in the form of a “Season Update”. Despite this, Konami is still confident about what the update will offer this year for fans of the soccer simulator franchise. The message concluded with two other important reveals. First is that PES 2021 is slated to arrive at an “affordable anniversary price” that has yet to be announced. The second is that the upcoming PES title for next-gen consoles is slated to release in late 2021, with testing being planned for mid-2021.
PES 2020 is currently available to play for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
