The Sports Desk – The Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 Afterwords

by Matthew Kato on Oct 31, 2016 at 10:00 AM

Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 is the best iteration of the series to date (click for my review), including captivating gameplay and a full suite of modes, features, and licenses. We had a chance to chat with Andre Bronzoni, the PES brand manager for the Americas about the title, the decisions made during development, and where it may be going after its release.

You announced plans for the first two free updates. Are you fulfilling your update schedule as you originally planned before launch? Have you also been able to make the bug fixes and changes you like with this schedule?
Yes, when we originally planned our data pack schedule we anticipated for improvements and things to fix according to the feedback we received during launch. We're also leveraging our monthly server maintenance to improve things in the game.

You have made fixes to address online stability problems. Currently, is the online as stable as you want it to be?
It's stable and currently running well according to the latest feedback from our fans, but there's still room for improvements in order to run the way we want it to.

For 2017, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund are among your highlighted licenses. Are these multi-year deals? PES 2016 featured a Manchester United license, but that has expired for 2017. In general, in your opinion are licenses that are only in the game for a limited time or for a year valuable?
We can't discuss details into our licenses, but I can tell you we've had Manchester United for the past eight years (PES 2009-PES 2016), while some of our licensing deals have been on a year-to-year basis. We're constantly evaluating what partnerships work best for the game and ultimately for our fans, and player feedback is something that drives much of the decision. We're changing the way we do things, and our first big step has been our premium partnership with FC Barcelona and our deals with Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, alongside deals in South America.

Has Konami's overall reduction of console titles affected the franchise and/or PES Productions as a developer?
Personally, I think it has temporarily shifted the focus and the spotlight to PES. As you can see in this year's release, we are starting to fulfill more and more of our fans' expectations. PES 2017 is one of the best titles the series has seen yet, and we're excited about its reception by fans.

Could a future update for the game address the lack of A.I. teams signing players in Master League and/or address the high amounts of money the A.I. pays for old players?
We spend a lot of time listening to the feedback and surveys from our fans and consumers, as we try to improve and fix those areas in the game. I can't tell you if that will be an update at this time, but we're considering all feedback.

Now that the game's been out for a while and you've gotten user data, what modes are people spending most of their time with? Any surprises?
No big surprises here. As you probably suspect, people are spending their time on myClub, Online Divisions, and Master League.

In MyClub, can you explain why users can't sell their scouts in the Auction House?
For PES 2016, the feedback we received was the ability to acquire the players you want or even players to fill a specific position. Therefore, we created the scout auction house to meet those demands. We still haven't decided on the transfer market for players or scouts, which is why you haven't seen those implemented in the game just yet.

Some of the series' presentation elements (commentary, menu design) have been the same the past few years. Is this a part of the game fans can expect to be updated in the future?
I can't share much about what elements we are currently working on for the future of PES as we don't want to spoil any surprises, but yes, those are some of the things we know our fans expect us to improve in the future.

Can you explain why option files aren't available for Xbox systems and what it would take to possibly change the situation?
Using Sony's USB import-export options has been an easier process for us. The situation is a little different with Microsoft, but we're working with them on trying to address that.

How long do you intend to release PES titles for the last generation of hardware?
Many of our fans, especially in Central and South America, are still playing on PS3 and Xbox 360 so we can't let them down. PES 2017 was the number-one downloaded game on PS3 last September according to Sony, so we plan to support last generation as long as it makes sense.

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RELEASE LIST

Franchise Hockey Manager 3 (PC, Mac) October
Football Manager 2017 (PC, Mac, Linux) November 4
Motorsport Manager (PC, Mac) November 10 (check out more about the game in this previous Sports Desk)
Steep (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) December 2

THE TICKER
A quick rundown of some of the sports news from the week.