PES 2019 will not be coming to the Xbox 360 and PS3, Konami confirmed to Dream Team yesterday.
Despite a majority of the sales coming from current-gen Xbox One and PS4, there are still thousands of gamers who play on last-gen consoles.
In fact, the Fox Engine – which powers PES – was designed to scale up and down depending on hardware. As a result, last year’s PES 2018 ran surprisingly well.
The news follows a growing trend of last-gen versions of new games offering ‘stripped back’ experiences compared to the flagship versions.
FIFA 18 on PS3 and Xbox 360 did not include The Journey or the latest Frostbite graphics engine – and was instead powered by FIFA 16’s Ignite engine.
There are even reports that EA Sports may be winding up last-gen versions of the game this year – with FIFA 19 only appearing on current-gen consoles and PC.
Konami finally unveiled PES 2019 to the world earlier this week – announcing a release date of August 30.
A trailer showed off the game’s impressive FOX Engine – which returns tweaked and improved on last year’s game.
David Beckham and Philippe Coutinho, who are both PES ambassadors, feature prominently throughout the clip.
This year’s game takes player individuality to the next level by introducing a variety of new skill traits.
These include cross over turn, no-look pass, controlled chip, dipping shot and rising shot. Players will also show Visible Fatigue, which will impact performance and behaviour.
Elsewhere, new shooting mechanics will take into account improved ball physics, player and ball position, and player skills and shot styles.
Thanks to ‘Enlighten’ software, true-to-life visual effects and 4K HDR is supported across all platforms.
Real time ‘Global Illumination’ lighting and shadows results in better crowd detail, real grass textures and the return of the popular snow weather effect.
The reveal follows a not-so-cryptic tweet from the official PES account earlier in the week, hinting that a big reveal was on the way.
Gamers got their first glimpse of the game last month, after a number of ‘leaked’ PES 2019 screens appeared online.
The Hong Kong PlayStation Store briefly listed PES 2019 with a release date of 30th August, along with screens and the cover of the Legend Edition, sporting David Beckham.
Significantly, UEFA and Konami confirmed last month their partnership has come to an end after a mutual understanding.
“It has been a very cooperative and mutually beneficial partnership,” said Marketing director of UEFA events Guy-Laurent Epstein.
“UEFA would like to thank Konami for its tremendous commitment and support to UEFA club competitions for the last decade and we look forward to continuing to work with Konami in the sphere of UEFA national team football.”
The news now opens the door for EA Sports to bid for the licence for FIFA 19.
NOW WATCH THE FULL PES 2019 TRAILER BELOW.