Nov 29, 2007
“We never wanted to release PES 2008 in this state on PS3,” admits Seabass, “In fact, we thought about delaying it but different factors meant we had to [release it].” We caught up with the legendary creator of the Pro Evolution Soccer series at Konami’s annual PES event in Seville, where he was defending his game from disappointed European journalists. “It’s so far away from what we wanted,” he confesses, “As a developer, we’ve worked the same way since the days of the SNES. We’re simply not set up for multi-platform development.”
While next-gen Pro Evo has been in development for over two years, it seems the pressure of producing versions on PS2, PSP, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC has taken its toll. Despite it all, Seabass is optimistic. “Look at the way the PS2 version panned out from the first to the last game. We’re well on course to follow suit on PS3.” He admitted the most common reaction had been ‘disappointment,’ and mentioned that ‘high-expectations’ have had a detrimental effect on gamers’ reactions. “PES 2009 is in development, but after hearing the criticism, we’ll be taking it back to the drawing board. It might not be next year, but it will be soon.” Overall, we were impressed by Seabass’ honesty, and optimistic the series will regain its former majesty. Click here for the full, exclusive interview.
