Slice-of-life soccer game Despelote kicks off on May 1

Despelote is heading to Switch, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on May 1. Despelote is a super stylish soccer game that’s secretly about life in the Ecuadorian city of Quito in 2001, and it comes from local developers Julián Cordero and Sebastián Valbuena, and published by Panic.

You play as 8-year-old Julián, and spend your time kicking the ball, meeting people and exploring life during Ecuador’s economic recovery just ahead of the unifying 2002 World Cup. The in-game city comprises actual photographs of places around Quito, but the backgrounds are covered in a layer of high-contrast grit, while people and the soccer ball stand out as stark line drawings. The audio was recorded on location, too, and the result is a game that looks and sounds like a soothing memory.

Despelote was announced in 2023 and originally due to land in 2024, but it now has a firm date of May 1. It’s already picked up a handful of accolades, including four nominations at the 2025 Independent Games Festival. There’s a demo on Steam, if you’re intrigued.