{"id":1874057,"date":"2026-04-09T15:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T12:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1874057"},"modified":"2026-04-09T15:23:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T12:23:13","slug":"pes-successor-efootball-has-been-downloaded-an-incredible-number-of-times-suggesting-konami-isnt-perhaps-as-out-of-the-game-as-some-thought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1874057","title":{"rendered":"PES successor eFootball has been downloaded an incredible number of times, suggesting Konami isn&#8217;t perhaps as out of the game as some thought"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/efootball-2024\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      eFootball 2024<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">PES successor eFootball has been downloaded an incredible number of times, suggesting Konami isn&#8217;t perhaps as out of the game as some thought<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">The beautiful game.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/efootball_X3Uqjz1.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"efootball_X3Uqjz1.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><\/p>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/connor-makar\">Connor Makar<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Staff Writer<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-04-09T15:23:13+00:00\">April 9, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"2eb42aaa-a113-408b-8f10-cd242e6baea8\" data-name=\"eFootball 2024\" data-follow-text=\"Follow eFootball 2024\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following eFootball 2024\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow eFootball 2024\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following eFootball 2024\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow eFootball 2024\" title=\"Follow eFootball 2024\"><br \/>\n  Follow eFootball 2024<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Despite a shaky start in 2021, Konami&#8217;s live service successor to football series Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), the online game eFootball, has now been downloaded an incredible number of times. Officially, it&#8217;s surpassed more than one billion downloads worldwide, Konami has said, and it&#8217;s having something of a celebration in its honour.\n<\/p>\n<p>According to Konami, this cumulative download figure will be marked with a special in-game campaign and the &#8220;Master league Sprint&#8221;, which is inspired by the beloved Master League event from the predecessor PES series.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"eFootball - Official Gameplay Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Qfl9aiVMuOo?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Qfl9aiVMuOo\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">eFootball &#8211; Official Gameplay Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Watch the initial eFootball trailer here!<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Qfl9aiVMuOo\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In addition, something off the pitch is also coming to help put a party hat on the occasion. A manga titled That Time I got Reincarnated in PES is also on the way, which will apparently tell the story of someone who finds themselves experiencing the Master League firsthand alongside footballers Castolo, Minanda, and more. How exactly this occurs remains a mystery &#8211; though it&#8217;ll be penned by Detroit Metal City&#8217;s Kiminori Wakasugi and published on K Manga.<\/p>\n<p>As for this in-game event, it starts today and will last until the 16th April. Players who log in to take part will receive in-game currency, as well as a chance to obtain truly valuable players, including Ronaldinho Gaucho.<\/p>\n<p>This, obviously, is great news for Konami. The company appears to be maintaining a grip on the football gaming space in the wake of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/after-almost-30-years-ea-is-officially-ditching-the-fifa-brand-1\">EA losing the FIFA branding and shifting to EA Sports FC<\/a>. It&#8217;s also an impressive milestone when you consider the shaky start eFootball had, with its 2021 iteration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/efootball-is-currently-the-worst-game-on-steam-according-to-user-reviews\">launching as the worst reviewed game on Steam<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>My big question as a non football fan is this. How <em>exactly<\/em> will the protagonist of this manga be reincarnated into PES? The genre classic is getting run over by a truck or some over large motorised vehicle, so if I were a betting man, I&#8217;d wager a street game gone wrong could cause the shift. Who knows though, maybe Minanda will be driving the car?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Despite a shaky start in 2021, Konami&#8217;s live service successor to football series Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), the online game eFootball, has now been downloaded an incredible number of times. Officially, it&#8217;s surpassed more than one billion downloads worldwide, Konami has said, and it&#8217;s having something of a celebration in its honour.\n<\/p>\n<p>According to Konami, this cumulative download figure will be marked with a special in-game campaign and the &#8220;Master league Sprint&#8221;, which is inspired by the beloved Master League event from the predecessor PES series.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"eFootball - Official Gameplay Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Qfl9aiVMuOo?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Qfl9aiVMuOo\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">eFootball &#8211; Official Gameplay Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Watch the initial eFootball trailer here!<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Qfl9aiVMuOo\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In addition, something off the pitch is also coming to help put a party hat on the occasion. A manga titled That Time I got Reincarnated in PES is also on the way, which will apparently tell the story of someone who finds themselves experiencing the Master League firsthand alongside footballers Castolo, Minanda, and more. How exactly this occurs remains a mystery &#8211; though it&#8217;ll be penned by Detroit Metal City&#8217;s Kiminori Wakasugi and published on K Manga.<\/p>\n<p>As for this in-game event, it starts today and will last until the 16th April. Players who log in to take part will receive in-game currency, as well as a chance to obtain truly valuable players, including Ronaldinho Gaucho.<\/p>\n<p>This, obviously, is great news for Konami. The company appears to be maintaining a grip on the football gaming space in the wake of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/after-almost-30-years-ea-is-officially-ditching-the-fifa-brand-1\">EA losing the FIFA branding and shifting to EA Sports FC<\/a>. It&#8217;s also an impressive milestone when you consider the shaky start eFootball had, with its 2021 iteration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/efootball-is-currently-the-worst-game-on-steam-according-to-user-reviews\">launching as the worst reviewed game on Steam<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>My big question as a non football fan is this. How <em>exactly<\/em> will the protagonist of this manga be reincarnated into PES? The genre classic is getting run over by a truck or some over large motorised vehicle, so if I were a betting man, I&#8217;d wager a street game gone wrong could cause the shift. Who knows though, maybe Minanda will be driving the car?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News eFootball 2024 PES successor eFootball has been downloaded an incredible number of times, suggesting Konami isn&#8217;t perhaps as out of the game as some thought The beautiful game. News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on April 9, 2026 Follow eFootball 2024 Despite a shaky start in 2021, Konami&#8217;s live service successor to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1874057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1874057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1874057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1874057\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1874057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1874057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1874057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}