Konami vows to fix eFootball following disastrous launch
Halftime team talk.
Konami has issued a statement on eFootball following its disastrous launch this week.
If you've read our impressions of the game, which launched in extremely limited form this week as a free download, you'll know of the many issues currently affecting Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer follow-up.
The launch has gone so badly, and the backlash has been so vociferous, that eFootball is now the worst-reviewed game ever on Steam.
In a new statement published this afternoon, Konami vowed to improve the game - and even went as far as to identify many of the gameplay and graphics issues that have seen eFootball become a meme.
The statement points to pass speed and "defence operation" - two aspects of the game we highlighted as particularly problematic in our impressions piece.
The statement also points to the quality of cutscenes, the player faces (which have gone viral), player movement and the way the ball works.
Basically, Konami is saying pretty much all the game isn't where it should be.
It vowed to put things right, and said an update is planned for this month.
Here's the statement in full:
"After the release of eFootball 2022, we have received lots of feedback and requests regarding game balance that includes pass speed and defence operation. We would also like to acknowledge that there have been reports of problems users have experienced with cutscenes, facial expressions, movements of players and the behaviour of the ball.
"We are very sorry for the problems, and want to assure everyone we will take all concerns seriously and strive to improve the current situation.
"This work will be continuously updated, quality will be improved and content will be added consistently. From next week onward, we will prepare for an update in October, while receiving further opinions through questionnaires to our users.
"We will do our utmost to satisfy as many users as possible, and we look forward to your continued support of eFootball 2022."
It remains to be seen whether the damage has been done. eFootball made a terrible first impression - even though Konami had signalled its launch was akin to a demo. Konami has a long and hard road ahead turning things around from such a devastating backlash - if it's even possible.