eFootball: Release date confirmed for OFFICIAL re-launch

After a rocky debut season for Konami's eFootball, things should be about to improve dramatically for the fledgling franchise.

Months of delays look to be coming to an end as Konami has now announced the release date for Version 1.0.0 update.

Version 1.0.0 coming SOON

Finally! The official date for the delayed release of eFootball's Version 1.0.0 has now been announced.

Fans will be able to access the update from Thursday, 14 April, meaning there is not much longer to wait.

Konami states in the full details, "Although it has been 6 months since the initial release in last September, we believe we have finally reached a level of quality that we can be confident of."

Fingers crossed this one lands without a hitch!

Defensive changes

Winning the ball back in eFootball proved tricky to say the least, so Konami has introduced three new additions to help provide a better balance.

• Pressure: Regain possession by applying pressure to the opposition ball holder.
• Match-up: Jockey the opposition dribbler with a lowered stance and finer steps. This is also effective for blocking passes and shots.
• Shoulder Charge: Win the ball back by barging your shoulder against the opposition player. Especially effective when the opponent has touched the ball far from his foot, or is trying to trap the ball.

Pass masters

Complaints about unforced errors and slow passing speeds have also been acknowledged, with the following changes made.

- Improved targeting decisions for passes

- Improved AI decision-making when receiving passes

- Improved movements when receiving passes

Following these corrections, the occurrence of unnatural passing errors has decreased substantially.

Goal scoring variety

Improvements have been made to shooting elements of the game too, offering "a variety of realistic goal-scoring scenes."

The changes are:

- Improved shooting speed, with focus on realism and satisfaction

- Adjusted the rate of on-target shots to reflect match circumstances appropriately

Furthermore, we are adding to the game a wide range of shot variations and trajectories for each situation, such as the incisive "Stunning Shot".

Improved dribbling functionality

Another important change to the feel of the game comes to the dribbling, with changes made "to present a gratifying one-on-one experience through realistic motions."

- Better ball tracking accuracy and response to L Stick inputs

- Improved response to Dash inputs

Other functional enhancements include improved response and ball behaviours for the new "Sharp Touch" command, as well as simpler feint inputs.

Click here for full details on eFootball's Version 1.0.0 Update.