As a group, fans of certain games are not the most patient. Most fans of Football Manager are pretty patient because we have had to wait for patches for new editions, or games being delayed.
However, many fans of the world’s favourite football simulation seem to be at breaking point with the game’s creators, SI, over the cancellation of FM25 and the lack of communication about FM26 from the developers.
The next edition must be worth the wait
I recently watched a very good YouTube video by a popular FM creator, Lollujo, entitled ‘FM26 Has to Be a Masterpiece – Or It’s Over’. He summed up the general feeling of the FM community.
Basically, he stated what I and many Football Manager players feel. FM26 needs to be worth the wait. The expectations are massive for the edition of the game, as SI have talked about an almost complete overhaul of the game.
We have seen a lot of the expected features from the cancelled FM25. However, there have to be more features and a major improvement on the last edition of the game to keep fans excited.
A big danger of losing fans
If SI don’t massively impress with FM26, then they risk losing fans forever. Some players have played the game for decades, but the big break between games has players asking about whether the developers can really pull off the trick of building a massive upgrade on previous editions.
People would be right to be sceptical about whether SI can pull it off. As they have admitted in the past when talking about FM25, the task of overhauling the whole game was a bigger task than expected.
Sports Interactive regret to inform that we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25.
Full statement: https://t.co/0eUMryrqbg pic.twitter.com/9kxgXQCgJG
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) February 7, 2025
SI are now in an awkward position, because they are making a new game, with a new game engine, but because of the break, players will expect it to be perfect. It’s not just your yearly edition of the game. It feels almost pivotal to the survival of the franchise.
The game is bound to have teething problems, as all new games do anyway, even most editions of FM. However, if it has too many teething problems, then fans who would usually wait for a patch to fix issues may be lost.
The fact that Sports Interactive have released such few communications about the new games, despite its annual release date around the end of October or early November, is also frustrating for players.
It is not only frustrating, but some have seen it as a sign that the game is not yet close to completion, which would be a worry if SI have not been advertising for players to test the game. That suggests the game is close to completion or at least functioning. That is a positive for everybody hoping to play FM26 in a few months.
I will stick with FM
I know there is a lot at stake for SI with the release of FM26. Most loyal fans who have played the game for decades are more likely to cut them some slack, as we know that they didn’t decide to cancel FM25 likely.
They have some credit in the bank from me and many other players for being so consistent with what they produce annually (usually, anyway). They have had to rush out previous versions, which have resulted in games needing patches.
However, overall, they deserve credit for producing a game that keeps me busy until the next edition comes out. Of course, I will buy FM26 for both work and pleasure.
As a male in my early 40s, I don’t really play any other games, so Football Manager plays a big part in my leisure time. Even if FM26 is not the great masterpiece that some are expecting, I will still likely play it.
In the unlikely event that FM26 is awful, I will likely just return to my heavily modded FM24. After that, I will likely wait until SI refines the game until it is closer to the finished product.
I am too obsessed with Football Manager to give up on the game I have played for so long, so easily. I just hope that when FM26 is finally released, it will be good enough to maintain the game’s loyal fans’ interest, and not see fans move on to other activities.
