Recent reports coming in points to the fact that Konami will not be releasing a new standalone game for Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 2021, instead, we will be getting a special season update at a price. Rumours had been circling prior to this which had mixed reactions from the fanbase. Some were fine with Konami skipping PES 2021 in others put all their resources into PES 2022 to make that game best in can be. This would allow Konami to fully implement the upgrades that come with next-gen hardware—PS5 and Xbox Series X, in order to take full advantage of it. On the other hand, others were not in agreement of going a whole year without a new football game.
Deep down though, most fans believed that this would not happen and there would be a new PES game to enjoy especially after the teaser trailer for FIFA 21 was revealed at EA Play earlier this year. Many of us were waiting for something similar from Konami but unfortunately, the reality was not the expectation. Konami has had a pretty good year with the release and surge in popularity of eFootball PES 2020, and where expected to build on that with a new game so this news is quite disappointing especially for PES fans.
Details of the season update DLC for eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer, PES 2021 clear states that:
This product is an updated edition of eFootball PES 2020 (launched in September 2019) containing the latest player data and club rosters. Please note that some leagues will have their rosters updated post-release.
We have no official communication as to why Konami made this decision but there are a few speculations that would explain this decision. Many believe that the complications of the COVID–19 affected the production and development of the game which would make sense. Other rumors stated that Konami wants to focus on putting all their resources into PES 2022 in other to make that game the best especially on next-gen hardware, and also to protect their Euro 2020 License until next year when it will most likely take place. But the most peculiar rumor is the one about Microsoft acquiring Konami's IP. This would be huge news for the franchise but just like many things, would have both negative and positive repercussions.
Microsoft acquiring the Konami IP would mean new financial backing for the game which would mean Konami could finally actually compete with EA for licenses. Licenses have been one of the main reasons why the PES lags behind FIFA so this would be huge. But the negative would be exclusivity. If Microsoft gains PES, it is very likely that the game would become exclusive to Xbox which would reduce competition in the football gaming world.