Video games these days are becoming more realistic not just in terms of the game’s physics, but also in its graphics. If you’re wondering just how realistic we’re talking about, then you might want to check out these screenshots of Konami’s upcoming Pro Evolution Soccer 2022 (PES 22) which shows some portraits of players that look almost as real as photographs.
These images of Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale were actually created by an independent artist, not Konami, but it should be pointed out that it was created using the game’s brand new Unreal Engine, meaning that this is the kind of level of realism that we can look forward to. Sure, at some angles it might look like a rendered image, but at a glance you might assume that it is a photograph, that’s how realistic it looks.
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The shadow and lighting effects look spot on like what you might expect from a professional photo studio, and the veins, freckles, facial hair, and more help to sell the image’s realism. This is actually something that Konami had promised gamers previously when they said that they plan to introduce more realistic player models, animations, and physics.
There is currently no set release date for PES 22, but it is expected to arrive this fall where it will be launching on next-gen consoles like Sony’s PS5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S.