PES 2018: Demo set for late July release

What’s the story?

The release date of the demo version of PES 2018 has been announced by Konami for PS4 and Xbox One. Konami also spoke about the competition with EA Sports’ FIFA 18.

In an interview, PES representative Adam Bhatti said: “What we’re doing this year, is for 11 days at the end of July, we’re running an open beta. I think it’s important to make key changes but not to change your DNA, don’t try and change what you are trying to achieve with the game.”

“I think for PES it will always be realism, always be player representation. That doesn’t always fall in line with things you want to do online. I think it’s important for everyone to remember that we’re the challenger when it comes to this kind of genre,” Bhatti said.

The context

The demo version of PES allows gamers to check out the game first-hand with limited teams and game modes. The PES demo usually comes out before the FIFA demo. This year, the beta test of PES 2018 commences on July 20 and will run until July 31. The modes that will be included are quick match and online co-op.

The heart of the matter

It is not yet confirmed if the early PES 2018 demo will be the one that comes out every year or if it’s just a beta test. Come July 20, fans will get to try out the new 3v3 mode as well as the normal one on one mode.

With this beta version, Konami pledges to improve the online experience by sending out surveys and collecting data. There have been complaints in the past that the online mode of PES isn’t consistent for all gamers and Konami are trying to address that issue.

What’s next?

The full version of PES 2018 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One will come out in September. The game will feature a full 11v11 online option, the myClub challenge and the co-op 2v2 and 3v3 modes. Random Selection will also return and the Master League will now include pre-season matches, a revamped transfer system and pre-match interviews.

Author’s take

FIFA has always been the benchmark of football games and PES has always remained in its shadow. That being said, PES has a pretty strong fanbase of its own. It remains to be seen if PES 2018 can match up to FIFA 18 but the early signs look good.