We waited and waited, and finally for the first time in over two decades, Sports Interactive and SEGA have pulled back on the launch of their flagship PC game, Football Manager. This announcement has in fact rocked the gaming community as players and fans are left puzzled as to the reason behind such a move.
What are the loyal players expected to do? How do they explain the gap year in their collection of Football Manager titles? These and many lore are the questions that the FM support team are probably dealing with right now.
But really, what led to this unprecedented decision? Is this a move towards a new style of release for this managerial simulation franchise? To answer this question, Kate Richardson, our invited writer will share some insight and hopefully answer the question on our minds.
Breaking Down the Official Statement
On February 16, 2025, the dreaded announcement by every Football Manager lover was released by Sports Interactive. The game company in their announcement stated that they were going to cancel the release of the Football Manager 25. This news was the final confirmation of what a lot of fans had feared after the postponement past the initial date of November 26th. But still fans and loyal players still kept on hoping it would be released on March 31st.
This was even further confirmed as players went in droves to pre-order the new instalment of one of the most addictive games out there. A purchase which will now be refunded as per Sports Interactive’s announcement. In the statement, Sports Interactive said,
“…following extensive internal discussion and careful consideration with SEGA, we have the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 and shift our focus to the next release.”
In a way, fans now find themselves waiting for the next chapter of Football Manager just like they eagerly track the most anticipated matches today—with high expectations and the betting opportunities they present. Although bettors can’t stake on Football Manager, the thrill is almost similar to real football matches in which people bet.
Most times you will find players analyzing matches, player stats and team form just like most successful bettors making the right betting decisions. For Football Manager players who like the thrill of the game and want to try out betting, finding the best odds, bookmaker and betting market can make all the difference. This is where MightyTips comes to play as they help bettors find the right platform with great bonuses while also providing tips and strategies to increase the chance of winning.
So with the announcement by Sports Interactive confirming the cancellation of FM25, players can try out other exciting and thrilling options. Or they could decide to continue playing the FM24 while looking for patches and mods which will ensure the game feels much more realistic.
The Challenges That Led to This Decision
So, what were the reasons behind this sudden change of plans? Why did they decide to flunk a perfectly good run after just hitting a record of 7 million players for the FM24? Well, to be fair, the decision was made because they wanted to give players the best. And with their decision to move the franchise to a new game engine—Unity, they didn’t expect it to be a tough task.
You see, moving the game to Unity meant that the Sports Interactive team would be rebuilding the gameplay mechanics, physics and UI. The move was also part of their plan to make the game much more immersive and take it to a whole new level. In this context, the words of American industrialist Henry Ford resonate perfectly: “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
Another issue they faced was with the decision to include women’s football into the game. This move is in line with the current trend where game companies are towing the line of inclusion. Big game titles like EA Sports’ FC25 have all introduced this trend to their games, and the team at Sports Interactive decided to follow suit.
However what this meant for FM was that it would require a database extension, new animations and AI inputs. If you are conversant with the work put into making FM, then you would understand why the inclusion of women’s football is going to be quite demanding. Especially since the game would need to be as realistic as possible.
Asides the issues with moving the game to a new engine, one issue they might have faced would be the production cost. Yes, this is because of the inclusion of the women’s league which would require licensing. Since a big part of their game draws players in with licensing, the need to secure these licenses could have further complicated issues.
The Future of Football Manager: What Comes Next?
Now that we can only look forward to the FM 26, will the extra 10 months of development result in more of a groundbreaking entry? Or will they fail to meet up to the new expectations? We can’t say but here are some things that we believe players can expect in the new installment.
Better Graphics: The introduction of the Unity Engine into the game is one that FM players have applauded, as the game continues to move towards realism. This new introduction is expected to change the game and make it much more immersive, as we would get to more realistic animations and better performances. The new game engine also promises that FM 26 will have an improved user interface, more detailed stadium and better matchday experience.
I wonder if FM26 will release in November… or will that be delayed as well
— Elm🦊 (@KingElm665) February 7, 2025
Game Save Transfer: Since Game save transfer was introduced to the game with the FM24, players have applauded this new improvement. However, questions have been asked about how it will work with the transfer of game save from FM 24 to FM 26. Well, according to Sports Interactive, this is one feature players will continue to see in the game for the foreseeable future.
Premier League Licensing: According to Sports Interactive, the Premier League is one of the most played leagues in the game. However, over the years, players have had to play through the game with the league’s unlicensed teams. However, on June 10, 2024, Sports Interactive announced that they had gotten the licensing for the league. So players can be sure to see more real team names in FM26.
Other new introductions include:
- Women’s football
- New user interface
- New player roles
Final Thoughts
With the cancellation of Football Manager 25 being a shocker to the gaming community, we can only speculate on what to expect next. However one thing we are sure of is that Sports Interactive has more planned for their loyal fanbase who are disappointed with this delay.
This now leads to many wondering if the delay would be worth it in the long run. Some even speculate that Sports Interactive could turn this into a biennial series. We don’t know, but only time will tell.
