PES 2014 Skips PS4, Focuses Its Attention on PS3

Despite switching to Kojima Productions’ proprietary FOX Engine technology, PES 2014 will not sprint onto the PlayStation 4. The title – which was teased earlier in the week – will instead focus its full attention on the PlayStation 3. Asked why Konami is skipping Sony’s latest system, the series’ European community manager Adam Bhatti explained that the company is “not in the business for high resolution next generation ports”.

He continued: “We can't and shouldn't be just using higher quality textures. In the past people accused us of being lazy. We're adamant of not making the same mistakes, and making sure that we create amazing football games. It's hardly amazing making the next generation version prettier. We shouldn't have that mentality, and you shouldn't expect it.”

Bhatti makes some fair points, but with FIFA 14 already confirmed for the PS4, doesn’t the series stand to lose even more headway on its closest competitor as a result? The publisher’s hoping that the current generation game’s new engine and numerous improvements will ensure that that isn’t the case. Refinements include enhanced ball physics, complex body contact algorithms, and a new ‘Heart’ system, which basically allows teammates to rally around players who are having a bit of an off day.

As usual, the title will feature full support for the UEFA Champions League and Asia Champions League, with more tournaments to be announced shortly. “From the moment football fans pick up the controller and experiment with the close control, player movement, and get to know how teams work and move, we are confident that they will see a game no longer limited by technology, but capable of growing with them and constantly surprising with the breath-taking quality that they have to come to expect from the real thing,” said creative producer Kei Masuda in an extraordinarily long sentence.

A PlayStation Vita version is also off the agenda for the time being, with Bhatti explaining that the “install base isn’t great”. There will be a PlayStation Portable release, however, with “demand” still high for Sony’s aging handheld. To be fair, the PSP iterations of PES continue to prove popular in some parts of Europe, so we guess that the continued support makes sense. The question is: do you still care about Konami’s soccer series? Let us know in the comments section below.