Konami Strikes Again: Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 Going Free-to-Play

Konami hasn’t done itself many favours in the eyes of gamers over recent months. It all started when Konami and Metal Gear Solid creator, Hideo Kojima, started having a tantrum at one another before eventually declaring that “they are no longer best friends” after almost three decades of BFF-ness.

The subsequent release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and its plethora of problems, not to mention heavy pushing towards microtransactions, really didn’t help Konami look like the good guy. Pro Evolution Soccer 2016, however, did hit all the right notes with footy enthusiasts and we even declared it to the superior soccer sim in our review.

However, all that goodwill looks like it’s being flushed down the loo: Konami is releasing Pro Evolution Soccer 2016: Free to Play. Most won’t really mind, but it’ll still feel like a bit of a kick in the teeth considering the full game itself hasn’t been out all that long. We’ve no idea what platforms the game will release on; all we know is that it was recently rated by the Australian ratings board.

It’d make sense if this was targeted towards the Asian market where free-to-play games have become something of the norm, but seeing as it was rated in the land down under, we sense this one’s getting a wider release. If it ends up as a download on PS4 and Xbox One, don’t be surprised to see that #F**kKonami make a reappearance.

Buy Pro Evo 2016 on Amazon