Due to Konami's fears that consumers will be slow to adopt next-gen consoles, the company is refraining from bringing Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 to the Xbox One and PlayStation.
"We're not sure how quickly the uptake of the next generation will go," Konami marketing exec Manorito Hosoda told CVG. "The fan base is with the current gen and before moving on we want to make a good game with the new engine."
Hosoda is correct in that current gen consoles have an installed base of more than 100 million customers while next-gen systems will likely have far less at launch, but there's a few arguments to be made against his beliefs. First off, EA's FIFA series is already enjoying a healthy sales advantage over Pro Evolution Soccer on current gen systems. Now with a free run on the Xbox One and PS4, with no competition, EA can establish its soccer franchise as the marquee next-gen game. It could also be argued that being available as a launch title could help PES gain more exposure to fans who may not be familiar with the series.
"We're kind of damned if we do and damned if we don't," added game representative Jon Murphy. "I think we're in a slightly different position [to FIFA], because we've been criticized in the past about producing a 'next gen' version when we weren't ready.
"We can't get away with producing a version that isn't absolutely shit-hot on next generation," he explained. "I think we want to be confident when we do bring something out and not in a position where people are criticizing us for producing a sloppy, second rate port. We're going to produce something that puts us back to where we should be in terms of quality."
Do you prefer FIFA or PES? And which would you prefer on next-gen systems?
