First patch for Konami’s disastrous eFootball is also delayed

eFootball’s manifold troubles aren’t getting fixed anytime soon.

Konami announced on Friday that the soccer game’s first major patch — version 0.9.1, it should be said — will be delayed from its original Oct. 28 launch to some point in early November. The reason for this delay was not given.

Whatever the cause, it means Steam’s worst-reviewed game (by its players) of all time will remain in the same janktastic state it’s been since launch. This includes broken AI and visual glitches as well as stuttering animations and other performance problems that attracted overwhelmingly negative reactions from both new and long-standing players.

eFootballThe former Pro Evolution Soccer/Winning Eleven Franchise dating back to 2001. Konami skipped one year after publication eFootball PES 2020 The franchise was then free-to-play in 2019 with Unreal Engine 4.

It was the plan to first release a game, then add more popular modules such as Ultimate-Team’s Master League and Be a Legend, which are single-player careers. eFootball launched with two modes of play: a local single or multiplayer match, using one of only nine teams, and “challenge events” playable against AI or other players online.

When such bleak offerings were littered with embarrassing glitches and comical visual errors, it was hard to believe that any post-launch roadmap would inspire confidence. The plans called for cross-platform play, online leagues and “team building mode” (both names still TBA), and a battle pass of content to roll out this fall. Konami, however, is returning to the drawing boards on the basics of the game. This effort has also been delayed.

screenshot of a glitch in eFootball. The match official is face down, pressed into the pitch, while a Chelsea player applauds — Photo: The visual representation of *eFootball*’s state prior to the 0.9.1 patch.

“Our hope is that the additional time taken will allow us to ensure the experience is improved for all of our users,” Konami said on Friday, from the same Twitter account that issued an omnibus apology for eFootballIt was launched a mere day later.

At the time of publishing eFootball Out of 22,068 reviews overall, this has received 19,475 bad Steam user reviews. (eFootball It is also available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox One. Even the most negative reviews can have an elegiac feel to them. Here’s one not even a week old, by Steam user Terre:

“Game’s not polished” is a lie. “It’s not finished” is stretching it. In the middle of the wilderness in pitch dark darkness. There you’ll find eFootball2022. You’ve all seen the pictures, no words, no excuses. You feel tired and heavy in the game’s gameplay. Some controls have no purpose, while others are just a way to lower your quality of life. The goals are hollow. 2 difficulties available. No modes of play. Gaming feels more like a decade. There’s no soul. I guess they thought that we’d stick along, silent and loyal?”

These were added to: