PES 2022 Next-Gen radio silence does not bode well for the franchise

Konami's silence about the next-gen version of Pro Evolution Soccer has made some fans worried about the series' future. The publisher hasn't announced a single update about the game since July 2020.

Back in July 2020, Konami announced that eFootball PES 2021 would be released as a season update to eFootball PES 2020. The decision was based on the fact that the publisher wanted to put in extra time to deliver a proper next-gen football title.

"The sheer scale of everything we are aiming to achieve for our next-gen debut has made it necessary to pare back our efforts in other areas of development," stated Konami. "As a result, we have made the decision to launch this year's PES as a streamlined offering in the form of a season update."

Speaking more on the topic of next-gen PES, Konami further explained that: "This title is being developed with an updated engine that will enable us to dazzle you with staggering improvements to all areas of the game. Expect more realistic player models and animations, enhanced physics, photorealistic visuals, and much much more."

Now, this is essentially all the news that PES fans got regarding the next-gen version of their beloved game. The statements quoted above were made and accompanied by a short teaser in July last year, and Konami have been radio silent about the project ever since.

This silence has, naturally, made fans worried as to whether they will be seeing the game this year at all.

Yes, there is a worldwide pandemic going on, and a lot of things have been getting delayed left and right, but so much as a screenshot of a work in progress would suffice to let the fans know that their now highly-anticipated title is indeed in the works. Otherwise, players may just give up hope and quit the series entirely.

Konami The attention to detail on the next-gen logo of FC Barcelona is nothing short of amazing.

Last year's news was so impactful that it even made FIFA's subreddit go crazy, with players of Pro Evo's rival franchise seriously considering giving next-gen PES a go. So, aside from PES fans being hungry for some next-gen news, FIFA fans are evidently keeping their eyes and ears wide open as well.

The never-ending debate as to what footy game to play could well be an utterly close one this year, but only if Konami start feeding their fans with news about eFootball PES 2022. With fans growing seemingly impatient by the day, for the Japanese giant - there's absolutely no time like the present.