PES 2022 demo quietly released but "mechanics, balancing, animations, graphics are all under development"

PES 2022 received an online beta test demo last night, but Konami insists that it's only to gauge online functionality.

The next game in the PES franchise is still largely under wraps, but fans of the series got a surprise today when they noticed a demo for the game was live across PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Or rather, "New Football Game", as the title is referred to.

The test is live now and is set to run until July 8, so you have plenty of time to try and jump in. It currently only lets you play other players in 1v1 matchmaking, which does support cross-play between consoles.

No official announcement of the demo was made, but Konami slipped it onto the various platforms and doesn't have any plans for further communication. However, the company has passed on some details to us in an official communication.

Konami makes it very clear that this demo is really not a true demo at all but almost purely being used as a performance test. They say: "This is only a limited test version and our sole purpose is to check the quality of online matchmaking and connection to the servers."

They stressed the point by adding: "Please note that all aspects of the game, including gameplay mechanics, balancing, animations, graphics, etc. are all under development, have already been improved and will continue to be improved before the official launch."

This is going to be the first PES game in Unreal as the franchise is leaving behind its long-used Fox Engine. This test demo is the first taste players can get of the series using the new engine. However, again, Konami is careful to say that this won't be representative of the final game's look or performance.

After confirming the test takes place in Unreal, a representative again said that "gameplay mechanics, balancing, animations, and graphics are all under development and will be improved before the official launch."

So, you can get out there and play some of the next PES (or New Football Game), but do keep in mind, it's still an early build and not a good representation of what the game will feel like to play. Still, you'd be helping the developers test out the online infrastructure, so perhaps you can consider it a good deed.

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