Konami stokes PES 2017’s esports ambitions with a free-to-play version

Konami wants to give everyone a chance to prove they are the best digital-soccer star in the world.

The publisher is launching PES 2017 Trial Edition this week on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PC. This is a free-to-play version of the well-regarded soccer simulation, but the Trial Edition focuses more on the game’s PES League esports division. Without spending any money, players can use the Trial Edition to compete in the PES League for a chance to take on other competitors around the world. Konami has operated PES League for the last several years, and now it wants to open that up to a wider audience than ever before in an effort to establish the soccer game as a force in a competitive-gaming market that’s worth $493 million, according to industry-intelligence firm Newzoo.