There is unlikely to be a Next-Gen title, but will we see a handheld version for the first time?
We have learnt a whole lot about PES 2021 in the last few days, including its release date, cover star and, most importantly, the fact that it is set to be a ‘season update’ rather than a standalone game.
But one thing which is still yet to be confirmed is whether or not we will see the Konami title released on the Nintendo Switch come September 15th.
It would be the first-ever Switch edition of PES, but will it happen?
Release Date
The official release date for PES 2021 has been confirmed as Friday, September 15th.
This will fall in what we expect to be the off-season for Europe’s top leagues, with the Champions League final set to be played just three weeks earlier, on August 23rd.
The game will be released on Xbox One, PS4 and PC (via Steam) but there has been no mention of a Switch version as of yet!
Is a Switch edition likely?
If PES 2021 was being released as a brand new game, we would say there is a fair chance that a Switch version would have been released.
But given that it is a Season Update to the 2020 title, rather than a brand new standalone title.
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Given that there isn’t a Switch title for the current game, and that it looks as though Konami are pouring their effort into making sure that their 2022 release is top tier, we highly doubt that a Nintendo Switch edition of PES 2021 is top of their to-do-list.
A gap in the market
But that’s not to say that there isn’t a gap in the market should Konami wish to exploit it.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about PES 2021
It’s no secret that there is a fierce competition between Konami and EA Sports – creators of the FIFA franchise – but despite releasing their last three titles on the Switch, EA have yet to hit the heights of their console versions.
Handheld versions of sports titles have never been the main selling point for the likes of the Nintendo Switch or past consoles such as the PSP. But if Konami were to release a big debut title on the handheld console, it could change the game completely.
PES 2022 on the Switch
As we have alluded to already, there are big things in the pipeline when it comes to the 2022 edition of the Konami title.
There was a teaser trailer released earlier this week, entitled “Taking PES to a whole new level” and boy, has it got us excited!
Now this is geared towards the chances that we will see when the Next-Gen consoles come into play, but there’s no reason to say that Konami won’t throw a Switch title in the mix.
By no means a certainty, but 2022 is definitely more likely than 2021.
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