eFootball’s ’30th Anniversary’ has fans concerned – here’s why

As the second biggest competitive football game on the planet, it makes sense to expect Konami to highlight eFootball’s 30th anniversary. Through various incarnations and rebrands, from ISS and Winning Eleven to PES, the developer has proudly stood behind its now free-to-play creation, even though it lags behind EA Sports FC by a league or two in popularity and slickness.

Naturally, we’re not here to play favourites, but what is concerning is the discontent coming from the eFootball fanbase. With the official 30th anniversary trailer delivering a festival of colour and style, the response has been…not exactly a party atmosphere. But what’s behind this malcontent, and does Konami need to listen? Whether it’s a vocal minority or a symptom of a larger issue, eFootball fans appear concerned by what should be a time for celebration. 

For Konami’s part, it has had a few things lined up for the eFootball 30th anniversary. It’s not a complete overhaul of the title, and it doesn’t involve any changes to the name (although the eFootball website has changed its decor…). Unfortunately, there’s no suggestion that the most-wanted changes are being addressed either. But more on that in a bit: here’s what has been happening.

eFootball introduced a 30th Anniversary Event for the end of July, tying in with the July 21, 1995, release date of Winning Eleven (Pro Evolution Soccer). This was also the date for the eFootball World Festival being held in Shibuya, where the 2025 eFootball World finals took place. 

For the game itself, though, the rewards were as follows, with more details on the official page:

So, some in-game events, which are honestly to be expected of a game or series celebrating a huge milestone. However, there’s nothing longstanding or any sizable change to the game itself in this list. 

The second big anniversary addition was the 30th anniversary cards. The eFootball website shows Pelé, Ferenc Puskás, and Wayne Rooney as examples, and it’s fair to say this move hasn’t exactly been universally welcomed. A mocking Reddit post by user Mrj1712 on the eFootball Sub-reddit appeared on July 10, titled: “To celebrate our 30th Anniversary, we will put 4-year-old cards in a 300-player box to make it almost impossible for you to get any. Thanks for playing!”

There are stronger views out there, but what’s clear is that 30th anniversary cards are a bit of an also-ran idea. By this, I mean that they are something that should have also been run, not as a key anniversary feature. Perhaps a main feature could have been teasing a new mode, asked for by the community. Because, as shiny as they may be, cards being a core reward for a once-a-decade opportunity in a game where the objective is to enjoy football feels a little misplaced. 

When you look at the comments beneath Konami’s 30th anniversary trailer on YouTube, two clear things stand out. First and foremost is the lack of key modes: Master League and Edit Mode. For my part, I spent countless hours in the early 2000s hammering Master League with friends, enjoying the sheer delight of taking a squad of unknown misfits to glory in (then) Pro Evolution Soccer. So I get it. 

It feels like a big shame, then, that Master League has been absent since the arrival of eFootball in 2022. It’s been a part of the charm of Konami’s football titles for at least a slice of the 30-year run, and it added an extra layer to the ‘play this, not FIFA’ debate. The top-liked comment below the trailer – a trailer slim on gameplay by the way – is by ‘Rick_J’. He writes, “We need Master League, Become a Legend, Edit Mode”. 

The above sentiment is repeated countless times, not only in that video’s comment section but in eFootball reviews, Reddit threads, and social media. And it’s prevalent enough that surely most people can pick up on it. However, for whatever reason, Konami is persisting without the requested modes. 

There may be good reasons for that, and eFootball’s free-to-play model means budgets for the (re)development of such modes may not be possible. But what it means in practice is that players feel unheard. This is referenced in the Reddit post mentioned above, where the top-voted comment states: “We’re never getting a good Treatment from Konami. They just don’t care”.

It’s always important to clarify that any vocal portion of any fanbase doesn’t necessarily represent the wider feeling. However, there is enough visible concern among eFootball owners to suggest that a change would be welcomed. When I wrote the article “Should EA Sports FC be worried?”, I focused on EA Sports FC vs Rematch, a new competitive football game that has captured imaginations in a big way. 

As it happens, since that article, Rematch has dropped in player count on Steam, and eFootball has climbed. But eFootball has been around for far longer, and you may expect it to be streets ahead in the sentiment it’s generated or players playing. Conversely, its ‘Mixed’ Steam reviews show comments pining for the return of PES, and it features a regular smattering of negative comments featured, including the need for the removal of in-game purchases.

On the official 30th anniversary trailer, one comment stands out, though: in a fairly hefty bit of text, guitarist and YouTuber Stel Andre writes, “If you love cards and micro-transactions and mobile gaming so much, go make/play an online poker game and leave football alone”. He adds, “Outdated game play, based on mobile phones rather than consoles, erasing so many years of hard work, history and evolution of the original PES titles”.

eFootball certainly finds itself in an awkward spot. While it is the second-biggest competitive football title, in many ways, its 30th anniversary feels uninspiring in the one place it should feel like a celebration – the game itself. With fan discontent regularly mixed in with positive thoughts, it may be time for Konami to consider a new approach to the future of its long-standing football series. 

Alternatively, giving the fanbase one or two of the modes that it seemingly wants could be a way to clear the air and boost interest. I used to play PES religiously, but I have not even considered opening the menu for eFootball. So don’t ask me, I’m too far gone. But plenty of feedback is available out there, and you don’t have to go far to find it.