“Grotesque”: the game “eFootball 2022” provokes the indignation of the players – archyworldys

The new video game “eFootball 2022” was to “mark a new era of virtual football” according to its publisher, but the title, touted by many players for graphics deemed “horrible” and disappointing maneuverability (“gameplay”), took a very bad start.

This game developed by the Japanese publisher Konami is the latest in its franchise previously called Pro Evolution Soccer (“Winning Eleven” in Japan), present in the video game landscape since 1995.

And “PES” is the traditional rival of the “Fifa” of the American Electronic Arts whose new component, “Fifa 22”, comes out this Friday.

Available since Thursday in free access (“free to play”) on all platforms, from new generation consoles to smartphones, in a double effort to reach as many players as possible, however, eFootball quickly provoked indignant reactions on social networks.

“Konami, you shouldn’t have released it in this state. It’s bad, very bad,” wrote one Twitter user, while others mocking the unflattering representations of stars Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo in the game.

The game had already garnered more than 10,000 comments by Friday morning on the Steam gaming platform, of which only 9% were positive.

“It seems that Konami released the game without even making sure that even basic quality criteria were met,” said AFP Serkan Toto, of the analysis firm Kantan Games in Tokyo, drawing a parallel with the game. Polish CyberPunk 2077 which was deemed sloppy when it was released last year.

– A “rushed” launch –

“I tried it and it’s really a parody of a soccer game,” he tackles. “He’s so grotesque, his gameplay is so excruciatingly bad, that I think everyone at Konami knew it wouldn’t work.”

According to him, the launch was “rushed”, a sign that “the sales team has gained the upper hand over the creative and technical teams”.

Konami, contacted by AFP, was not immediately available to respond to criticism.

The choice to switch to the free model was, however, a good decision according to Mr. Toto, because “in recent years Fifa was much more successful” and Konami “needed to do something drastic”.

“But if you want to fight Fifa, you can’t present a product like that. It’s like offering a McDonald’s menu and trying to compete with a starred restaurant,” he said.

Despite a bad start, eFootball could still turn into a success, thinks David Gibson, of the consulting firm Astris Advisory, on the contrary.

“There is a lot to correct, but it is repairable,” he said. But “you’re going to have to make some tough decisions,” like “temporarily withdrawing the game” for “six to twelve months.” An eternity in the world of professional football, and the game.

mac-amk-kaf / etb / eb