Football Manager 2025’s cancellation hurts, but we all know it’s the right move

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The production of Football Manager 2025 has been called off. It’s not completely gone yet, but it’s on its way out. Although it hasn’t been officially announced, Football Manager 2026 is expected to be developed using the advanced technology that was planned for its cancelled predecessor.

As a devoted fan, I’ve been eagerly waiting for news about Football Manager 25 after the initial postponement. Finally, Sports Interactive officially confirmed that FM25 is no longer in development. While this announcement was inevitable and we all anticipated it, it seems like the best decision SI could make under the circumstances.

Football Manager 2025’s cancellation is only bad for the devs 

In Football Manager (FM), we’ve invested countless – more accurately, countless thousands of – hours, exploring each annual edition. We hunt for promising prodigies that have slipped through the cracks, often misled by irrelevant attributes, and struggle to decipher why our top-rated player underperforms compared to our second-tier one. Ah, FM Star System, what a conundrum!

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Yesterday, we demonstrated that the Football Manager community is exceptionally steady. Contrary to expectations, with a new game on the horizon, participation in FM24 has surprisingly remained high, barely decreasing at all even though it’s outdated. For us, patience pays off, and the fantastic mods that enhance the match engine only make the wait more bearable.

In this situation, it’s Sports Interactive, the game development team, who experiences a setback due to the cancellation. They are a company known for their annual releases, and thus, they lose an entire year’s worth of potential sales from a new game like FM25. This decision was significant for the studio, primarily benefiting the players, which is us.

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In the notice for the cancellation of FM25, SI admitted they could have released it first and fixed issues later, which is a common practice in many games. For instance, Ubisoft titles often come out with game-breaking bugs, and let’s not forget Bethesda’s Starfield, which was quite problematic. However, Sports Interactive aims to avoid such situations as they don’t want to spoil the reputation of their series, cherished by gamers and even real-life football managers alike.

The team stated that instead of pushing forward and launching FM25 as it is now, and then fixing issues later, they felt it was inappropriate to do so.

The boat had sailed 

It’s crucial for Football Manager to align its annual release with the ongoing football season. The delay of FM25 until March was pushing this alignment to the limit. If FM26 were released in March, it would have been out less than a year after FM25, potentially requiring fans to purchase two games within a 12-month period.

Concerns were running high regarding this situation. Nobody relishes the idea of paying the full cost for a game that could potentially lose its value before the year ends. Given these considerations, launching a new Football Manager in March was somewhat pushing boundaries, and it appears that Sports Interactive recognized this.

The developers stated that they preferred not to delay the release past March, as it could be quite late in the football season and potentially difficult to persuade players to purchase another game later in the year.

Without a doubt, all the pieces fit together – it’s logical, and honestly, postponing Football Manager 25 was practically the best course of action given the circumstances. This decision certainly adds complexity to everyone’s lives, but it also brings about an increased anticipation for Football Manager 26, making it even more thrilling.

A polished launch? 

Due to the cancellation of FM25, the development cycle for FM26 is expected to be one of the longest in the series’ history. The abandoned game had hinted at a significant “technical and visual advancement” within the franchise, but with the extended timeframe, there’s a possibility that it could be not only impressive visually but also well-polished.

As Sports Interactive spends more time laying the groundwork for the upcoming series, it will make the series stronger and more reliable. This prospect is thrilling, and I’m eagerly anticipating the heights that Football Manager (FM) might reach in the future.

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2025-02-07 14:10