Summary of "اللعبة التي دمّرت سلسلة PES"

Summary of “اللعبة التي دمّرت سلسلة PES” (The Game That Destroyed the PES Series)

Storyline and Series History

PES (Pro Evolution Soccer) was once a dominant football game series, widely considered superior to FIFA in gameplay despite lacking full licenses. The series reached its peak with PES 6, which was highly praised and even surpassed FIFA in popularity, despite FIFA holding most official licenses.

Konami made a critical error by skipping a 2007 release, which caused some players to switch to FIFA. Although PES 2008 returned, it was disappointing, and sales gradually declined over the following years:

PES 2009 sold 7.5 million copies.
PES 2010 sold 7 million copies.

The series saw a major comeback with PES 13, widely regarded as a masterpiece featuring flawless gameplay, graphics, menus, and overall experience.

The Turning Point: PES 14

Released in 2013, PES 14 marked a disastrous turning point that severely damaged the series. Konami switched to the Fox Engine without sufficient preparation or development time (less than a year), resulting in:

Slow, unrealistic gameplay.
Poor AI.
Lag and delays.
Bad physics for players and the ball.
Licensing issues, losing key leagues and players.
Poor online servers that were shut down prematurely.

The game felt completely different from PES 13, alienating longtime fans. Despite improved graphics, awkward facial expressions and other issues worsened the experience. PES 14 is considered the second worst-rated game in the series history.

Aftermath and Recovery Attempts

Konami took until PES 16 to fix the engine problems, but the damage was already done. Sales dropped drastically by 50%, falling from around 7 million to approximately 4 million copies per installment.

PES continued to lose market share to FIFA, which sold up to 20 times more copies in some years (e.g., FIFA 19 vs PES 19). Despite a loyal fanbase and good gameplay quality, PES struggled to regain its former glory.

Konami repeated a similar mistake by switching engines again—from Fox Engine to Unreal Engine—and rebranding PES as iFootball. The iFootball launch started poorly but has been slowly improving.

Key Points and Tips

PES 13 is widely regarded as the best game in the series for gameplay, graphics, online play, licensing, and commentary.
Radical engine changes require long development cycles (at least 2 years) to avoid gameplay and performance issues.
Stability and familiarity in gameplay are crucial; sudden, drastic changes can alienate fans.
Licensing remains a critical factor in football games’ success.
Despite setbacks, PES’s gameplay quality often surpasses FIFA’s, according to the narrator.

Summary Bullet Points

PES dominated before PES 14, peaking at PES 6 and PES 13.
PES 14 switched to Fox Engine prematurely, causing:
- Slow, laggy, and unrealistic gameplay.
- Poor AI and physics.
- Licensing losses.
- Bad online experience.
Sales dropped by 50% after PES 14.
Konami fixed engine issues only by PES 16.
PES lost significant market share to FIFA.
Another engine switch to Unreal Engine led to rebranding as iFootball.
PES 13 remains the gold standard for the series.
Radical changes in gameplay and engine require long development time to succeed.

Gamers/Sources Featured

The video is narrated by a single content creator (unnamed) who provides a detailed retrospective and personal opinions on the PES series history and its downfall with PES 14.