Year after year, the fight for the football crown comes down to a duel between the FIFA series on the one hand and the Pro Evolution Soccer series on the other. The positions are actually taken before the release of the two titles. Above all, because of the extensive licensing package and the Ultimate Team mode, which over the years has become a favorite of the FIFA community and a commercial gold mine, Electronic Arts was able to clearly leave Pro Evolution Soccer behind in terms of sales figures in recent years.
In order to counteract this trend, Konami could set a new course this year and decide to release PES 2022 or Pro Evolution Soccer 2022 as a free-to-play title on the market. This is at least what can be seen from the statements of Videogames Chronicle editor Andy Robinson, who has established himself as a reliable insider source in the past.
Is Konami saying goodbye to direct competition?
Konami already gained relevant experience in recent years with the Lite versions of the last Pro Evolution Soccer titles, with which potentially interested users could take a look at the games free of charge. Since the sales figures of PES in recent years only make up a fraction of what Electronic Arts has been able to sell the FIFA series for, the Konami team may have decided to take the Lite concept to the next level this year and offer PES 2022 as a free-to-play title.
This could bring several advantages for the Japanese publisher. On the one hand, the entry barrier for PES 2022 is correspondingly low and is likely to encourage fans of the round leather to take a look at this year's installment without any cost. In addition, players could be targeted who have little interest in paying the full price for a new football title every year.
With the free-to-play model to a change of guard?
However, it remains to be seen whether the switch to the free-to-play model will be enough to bring about a change at the top of the football genre. On the one hand, the question arises as to which content and modes from PES 2022 could disappear behind a paywall. After all, the development and long-term support of a triple-A title have to be financed first and foremost. It is conceivable that Konami will rely on cosmetic content, an
