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Konami confirms PES4 Xbox Live support

Full details inside, including new release targets for PS2, Xbox and PC.

Konami has officially confirmed that Pro Evolution Soccer 4 will be fully playable over Xbox Live, bringing to end months of speculation and confirming reports carried by this site over the past week based on comments from highly placed Konami insiders, and has revealed that the Xbox version will be released in November along with the PC version. The PS2 version will be released in mid-October.

The Xbox version of PES4 will feature support for real-time matches online - a first for the series - and will also include a rating system and the option to form mini-leagues with your friends, Konami of Europe confirmed today. Full details of player numbers and league set-ups should be announced in the coming weeks, although we imagine the leagues will allow you to invite other players to join and then tot up all the statistics you'd expect (games played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points, etc) as the group plays out the fixtures.

"The inclusion of Xbox Live in Pro Evolution Soccer 4 is another example of Konami of Europe listening to its consumers," Konami of Europe president Kunio Neo commented. "The ability to play this incredible online will introduce Pro Evolution Soccer 4's many subtleties and intricacies to a whole-new audience, and further expand its reputation as the ultimate football experience."

"We’re very excited that Pro Evolution Soccer 4 will include Xbox Live functionality," said Michel Cassius, senior director of Xbox platform and marketing. "Xbox Live will bring a whole new level of football excitement to Pro Evolution Soccer 4 fans and we welcome its debut on Xbox as it joins the ever-growing line-up of Xbox Live titles coming to Xbox this Christmas."

Pro Evolution Soccer 4 is also due out on PS2 and PC. You can read more about the myriad new features in this version of the series by checking out our past impressions of the Japanese Winning Eleven 8 title, and our more recent impressions of the PS2 and Xbox versions on display at Game Stars Live.