Konami’s eFootball Will Launch With No Microtransactions (But It’s ‘Basically a Demo’)

Ahead of its next major eFootball announcement, Konami has released some further details surrounding the game – including confirmation that the game will launch without microtransactions in Autumn, but that it will be similar to a demo in scope.

The information came to fans directly from the official eFootball Twitter account which shared a thread of answers to a range of common questions that had arisen over the game.

Surrounding the game’s “free-to-play” nature Konami said “During ‘Early Autumn’, eFootball will have no micro-transactions – so everything will be free-to-play at launch. We will then add more content during ‘Autumn’.” Whilst details around the Autumn follow-up content are yet to be confirmed, it sounds as if this could be the point at which Konami will introduce a form of microtransaction system to the game.

Q: What exactly will be free-to-play at launch?

A: During “Early Autumn”, eFootball™ will have no micro-transactions – so everything will be free-to-play at launch. We will then add more content during “Autumn”. Exact content details to follow.

— eFootball (@play_eFootball) August 2, 2021

However, the scope of that launch version seems fairly slim, and one of the questions answered was whether the game would be “basically a demo” at that point. “In many ways, yes,” was the answer. “We want people to get hands-on with eFootball as soon as possible, so we will launch with a limited number of teams and modes.” Konami has said that it will share more details about this in the near future. 

Elsewhere in the thread, Konami spoke about the game’s integration on both console and mobile and how this would affect user experience. The company reassured fans in the thread, explaining that eFootball has been developed for “consoles first” but that will be a platform for “everyone to enjoy” with the game taking “full advantage of the hardware capabilities of each supported device”. Whilst the game will include “multiple features for matchmaking based on location and platform,” Konami has said that PC and next-generation console players paired up against mobile users should not see a downgrade in their graphics during gameplay.

Q: Will next-gen graphics be downgraded to play against mobile users?

A: We will make graphical adjustments to the mobile version but the next-generation graphics on consoles and PC will not be downgraded.

— eFootball (@play_eFootball) August 2, 2021

Konami announced late last month that it had officially renamed its titular Pro Evolution Soccer series, eFootball. The game will be digital-only and free-to-play when it releases for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC this Autumn – with iOS and Android versions to follow. All versions of the game will receive cross-play features by winter, although it is important to note that mobile players will need to use a controller when playing against console and PC players.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter where he is often seen supporting the northern powerhouse known as Merseyside Red.