Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 set to kick off Sept. 15 in Americas, Sept. 17 in Europe (update)

Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer is 20 years old this year, with the 2016 iteration coming on Sept. 15 throughout the Americas, Sept. 17 in Europe and Sept. 18 in the U.K., the company announced today.

Some of the changes in PES 2016 are shown in this four-minute trailer, released by publisher Konami today. They include the usual upgrades to ball physics and more advanced visual representations of players and environments, as well as the following:

• A tweaked collision system with a greater variety of outcomes when players bump into one another.
• Aerial strength battles using the left stick, when the ball is lofted high and needs to be won.
• More feints and dribbles when players run at defenders.
• Better use of open space by AIs, allowing more combination plays.
• Smarter goalkeepers mean fewer baffling decisions, like punching away an easy catch.
• Revamped Master League managerial system.
• A wider camera angle gives the player a larger view of the game.

PES does not have as many official team licenses as its rival FIFA, but it does have the rights to the UEFA Champions League for the next three years. Recent speculation about Konami's commitment to publishing on console games was addressed in a letter from the company, in which it stated an intent to "continue to build up a comprehensive portfolio of console, arcade, and card game titles for each franchise."

In a statement today, the company again reiterated its plans to stick with games like PES on console. "PES 2016 will be the best game in the series," said Konami's Erik Bladinieres.

"We will continue to celebrate the history of PES and everything it stands for, and create a new level of quality that has never been reached by any football game. Here's to another 20 years."

PES 2016 will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Windows PC. It will be released in Europe and the U.K. on Sept. 17 and Sept. 18, respectively.

Update: PES 2016 will be available Sept. 15 in the Americas, Sept. 17 in Europe and Sept. 18 in the U.K. We've edited the headline to clarify this.