In recent months, many FM players have questioned the silence from SI when it comes to FM27. Well, we finally had an update on the new game on August 27th.
Unfortunately, I had been away on holiday, so I couldn’t cover the news when it came out at the time. However, in this article, I will break down what the news is and what it means for FM27.
A video released by SI about FM27
On August 27th, SI released a video featuring Senior Community Manager Chris Groves. It was an interesting listen, to be honest.
Preparing for kick off 👔
Hear from our Senior Community Manager, Chris, with the latest on FM27 plans and what to expect this year. pic.twitter.com/x1v3otAaTj
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) August 27, 2026
He said he recently joined SI to help the company become more connected with the FM community. For most fans, that is a step in the right direction straight away, considering the company’s radio silence at times on FM.
Chris confirmed that FM27 would be released in November, which is about the time it is usually released, give or take a few weeks.
He also said the game is in the final stages of development, which you would expect for a game that should be with us within the next few months, while stating that it has been going really well.
Chris talked about evolving the current design, but also restoring ideas that worked well in previous editions. Once again, this should be a plus for many FM fans if they are making popular changes.
He said fan feedback played a big role in decisions for FM27, while stating that one of their aims was to make the game easier to navigate. Hopefully this will improve immersion, which was one of the biggest complaints from FM26 players.
As with past editions, we will be getting updates, assuming involving screenshots of the new features and gameplay. It seems we will also hear from more people involved in the game’s development when these updates arrive.
According to Chris, members of the FM community have visited the SI studios to test the gameplay and share their initial feedback. Those members’ feedback is being used to refine the game.
For testing, 40,000 people have registered for the remote playtesting programme. A new SI Discord server will launch in September to help fans stay more connected with the game’s creators.
A positive step for SI and FM
I have to say this video was a positive for me. In recent years, maybe due to the FM25 debacle, SI have become slightly wary of Football Manager players.
The fact that FM26 came in for so much criticism from so many fans of the game probably also contributed to SI’s wariness about communicating as much as they used to about previous editions. Maybe I am just imagining that SI used to communicate more with the fans of the game, but that’s how it feels.
It seems that appointing someone to communicate directly with the game’s fans is a shrewd move by SI. That means other people within the organisation can focus on improving the game for future editions, including FM27.
Football Manager needs to keep progressing
We all know that FM26 wasn’t the greatest game in the world, but as SI kept telling us, it’s a first attempt at creating a game with a whole new game engine. It was always going to be a case of trial and error.
I have been a critic of SI in the past, but I kind of understand their issues with the new game engine. If SI are sincere about really listening to what the majority of the FM community wants, then it can only be good for the future of the franchise.
The world never stays the same, and Football Manager doesn’t either. I genuinely believe SI wants to keep improving FM. The game needs to keep progressing.
There is no other realistic football manager alternative out there. SI and FM are all we have, so we need them to keep putting their best foot forward when it comes to our game.
No doubt SI will keep improving to keep the company profitable. If the game doesn’t sell, they will have fewer resources for future editions, which means the game will stall and people will lose their jobs.
I am looking forward to September for the gameplay release and the other FM27 reveals. Hopefully, FM27 will be a big improvement on FM26, and the game can keep improving with every edition, as for many of us it is the only game we play religiously, even if it’s not quite perfect.
Are you happy with what Chris Groves said in his recent video?
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