PES 2017 will get a day one update covering summer transfers for every team, followed by weekly transfer and attributes updates throughout next season, global product manager Adam Bhatti has confirmed to GamesRadar+.
The news means no repeat of last season, when October’s transfer deadline day update (AKA Data Pack 1) bizarrely missed major moves such as Anthony Martial’s switch to Manchester United, and Virgil van Dijk signing for Southampton.
“Lessons have been learned and we rightly took a lot of flak for the rosters being so out of date,” says Bhatti.
“There will be a day one update to bring all transfers up to date, and it will be updated on a weekly basis with all transfers within that time implemented and will also reflect the performances of players within that time. Individual skill is vital in PES 2017, so it is important that we make sure that our players are as close to those of their real life counterparts.”
The move brings PES in line with rival FIFA, which has offered weekly roster downloads that reflect recent moves and changes in form throughout the last two seasons.
Four teams have been confirmed for PES 2016 so far: Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, France and Germany, and Bhatti hints there may be some surprises to come.
“It’s a bit early to be able to talk about this sort of thing yet as negotiations are ongoing,” he says. “As we near release, we will reveal more – but we are committed to adding more deals, as seen with the recent free EURO 2016 DLC for PES 2016, and the expansion of our UCL agreement.”
We’ll have much more from our interview with Bhatti throughout the following days. In the meantime, you can find our PES 2017 hands-on impressions and in-depth FAQ right here.
PES 2017 is released on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC this autumn.
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