Konami has revealed that PES 2014 will skip PlayStation 4 and Xbox One due to concerns that punters will be slow to jump on board the next-generation bandwagon at launch.
Marketing bigwig Manorito Hosoda told CVG that the company wants push its new game engine before making the transition to fresh hardware
"We're not sure how quickly the uptake of the next generation will go", said Hosoda-san.
"The fan base is with the current gen, and before moving on we want to make a good game with the new engine."
By contrast, leading rival FIFA 14 will be released on both PS4 and Xbox One, although Konami argues that current-generation hardware has an installed base of over 100 million. Launch titles on new platforms will be sold to a significantly smaller user base.
Elsewhere, Konami’s Jon Murphy touched on past teething problems for the PES brand when making the jump from PS2 to PS3.
"Perhaps we're in a slightly different position to another company in that sense", he said.
"We can't get away with producing a version that isn't absolutely shit-hot on next generation.
"I think we want to be confident when we do bring something out and not in a position where people are criticising us for producing a sloppy, second rate port. We're going to produce something that puts us back to where we should be in terms of quality".
PES 2014 is being developed with Kojima Productions’ new Fox Engine and introduces a wealth of new additions to the formula. Aside from a host of visual enhancements, the core experienced is based around six key elements: TrueBall Tech, M.A.S.S., Heart, PED ID, Team Play and The Core.
PES 2014 is due out later this year on PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PC and Xbox 360.
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