Key Highlights:
- Konami was developing a new engine for Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 after PES 2013 marked the end of the series’ previous technology.
- Early plans focused on improving player movement, visual detail and the physical relationship between footballers and the ball.
- PES 2014 ultimately became the first game in the series to use the Fox Engine when it launched in September 2013.
Konami was preparing a major technology overhaul for Pro Evolution Soccer 2014, with a new engine intended to improve the football series’ graphics, player movement and on-pitch realism.
The change followed PES 2013, which represented the end of the series’ previous technical foundation. PES Productions was already discussing a rebuilt engine for PES 2014 months before Konami formally announced the game.
Series producer Kei Masuda said the development team wanted players to feel more connected to the action on the pitch. Early information pointed towards more realistic player movement and greater emphasis on reproducing the individual characteristics of real footballers.
Konami was also exploring technology capable of reproducing physical characteristics in greater detail. One concept discussed during development involved using a camera to scan a player’s body and recreate aspects of their appearance within the game.
Not every early concept was guaranteed to appear in the finished release, but the underlying technology became central to PES 2014. Konami revealed the new PES 2014 engine in March 2013, providing the first detailed look at the graphical and physics improvements being developed for the game.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 ultimately became the first PES game built using Konami’s Fox Engine. The finished game introduced systems including TrueBall Tech, which separated control of the ball from player movement, and the Motion Animation Stability System (M.A.S.S.), designed to improve physical interactions between players.
Early speculation also connected Konami’s new technology with the upcoming console generation. However, the company later confirmed that PES 2014 would not release on PS4 or Xbox One, with the series remaining on the established console generation for another year.
Konami released PES 2014 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC alongside versions for PSP and PlayStation 2. The publisher confirmed the North American release date for 24 September 2013, while the game arrived in the UK and Europe earlier that month.
The move to the Fox Engine represented one of the largest technical changes in Pro Evolution Soccer’s history, replacing the technology used by PES 2013 and establishing a new foundation for the series.
