PES successor eFootball has been downloaded an incredible number of times, suggesting Konami isn’t perhaps as out of the game as some thought
Konami has announced that eFootball, its free-to-play successor to the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise, has surpassed 1 billion downloads worldwide across all platforms. The milestone marks a major achievement for the game, which launched officially in 2022 following a challenging soft launch in late 2021.
To celebrate the milestone, Konami is launching a special in-game campaign called “Master League Sprint,” a limited-time experience inspired by the beloved Master League mode from the original PES series. The campaign will feature classic PES players and is accompanied by a new manga serialization.
Despite the impressive download numbers, eFootball has maintained a mixed critical reception. On Steam, the game carries a “Mixed” overall rating with over 27,000 English-language reviews. Analysis by GameDiscoverCo identified it as “the most divisive game on Steam,” with nearly equal splits between positive and negative reviews—a testament to its polarizing nature within the community.
Nevertheless, the billion-download achievement underscores the viability of Konami’s free-to-play live-service approach in the competitive sports gaming market, demonstrating the company’s relevance despite the shift away from annual PES releases.