After Konami shed light on Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 last week, European Brand Manager Adam Bhatti spoke with Videogamer, where he said that they’ll release PES 2015 “when it’s done,” a decision they came to after the poor feedback they received last year for PES 2014:
That’s a really good ethos. We tend to have the same focus every year, we stick to a time. We learned with PES 14. As you mentioned, it was probably half done, and I think that was the feedback we got from all the fans. The majority of fans [were] extremely unhappy with us last year. We heard them and we’re fully aware, so this year it’s not just a case of ‘don’t worry, we’re going to fix it’. When it ships, it’ll be ready.
Part of the reason behind PES 2014’s disappointment by the fans, Bhatti says, is due to the game’s new FOX Engine:
With PES 14, we had a new engine – FOX Engine – that we were trying to incorporate and many of the gameplay feelings of PES were just lost really, because we were trying to make a game that looked beautiful. But really, PES has been known for playing the beautiful game but not really caring about… how we moved, having the most accurate animation. [Earlier PES titles] definitely captured certain things, like a player run, for example, but it was super responsive and that allowed you to be very instinctive when you played. [In] PES 14, you had to think two seconds before you were going to do something because the animation would play out, and that’s not PES.
For PES 2015, it’s about “going back to basics,” with Bhatti saying the basic things for him in a PES game are it being “super responsive” and “left stick dribbling and R2 stop.” As well, he doesn’t want the game goal scored twice, so the development is trying to catch moments where there’s “too many sweet spots.”
As for the reception of the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise, Bhatti admits it isn’t what it used to be in Europe, but they’re “still quite strong” in South America and Asia.
Judging by Bhatti’s comments, it’s possible we won’t see PES 2015 launching alongside FIFA 15 in September. Whatever the case, PES 2015 is scheduled to release this fall on PS4, Xbox One, and “additional formats.”
