Sports Interactive’s decision to cancel the launch of Football Manager 2025 (FM25) due to developmental challenges sparked plenty of debate in February.
As reported by SportsView and other sports & gaming news sites, the developer claimed that ‘unforeseen challenges’ had scuppered their hopes of releasing the eagerly awaited game.
The latest edition of the series was initially scheduled to be launched in its traditional November slot, but SI postponed this until March 2025.
However, the firm subsequently admitted they had been unable to get the game to the desired level and had decided to focus their energies on making Football Manager 2026 a success.
While many elements of FM25 hit SI’s targets, they said the overarching player experience and interface were not where they neededthem to be.
They were unwilling to release the game in its current state and fix things further down the line, saying this was ‘not the right thing to do’ to their loyal fanbase.
SI also refused to go beyond a March release as it would be too late in the football season to expect players to buy another game later in the year.
People who pre-ordered FM25 were automatically refunded. The challenge for SI now will be to ensure that the next edition of the game lives up to expectations.
The cancellation of the launch was undoubtedly a major blow to SI and publishers Sega, who had enjoyed massive success with FM24.
The game attracted more than seven million players, breaking the previous record after just 100 days following its release in November 2023.
The FM series has become iconic during the 21st century, with its immersive nature redefining the management simulation genre in gaming.
FM has opened the door for data to become embedded in ‘real-life’ football, transforming how fans engage with the world’s most popular sport.
Cancelling the launch of FM25 will have cost SI and Sega a vast chunk of revenue and is a decision that would not have been taken lightly by either company.
While ‘short-term pain for long-term gain’ was a sensible move to make, the pressure to ensure FM26 hits the mark will unquestionably be palpable.
There has been a widespread feeling among FM players that SI’s eagerness to make the series realistic has removed some of the charm from playing the game.
Under SI’s previous Championship Manager branding, the season 2001/02 release is still viewed as an all-time classic in football management games.
That sentiment has extended to other popular video game series such as Madden, NBA 2K, EA Sports FC and many more.
For instance, many people believe Madden 2002 is the greatest American Football game ever made and subsequent releases have failed to match it.
It is similar story with the NBA 2K series, which hit a peak a few years ago and has not bettered the game experience since then.
The EA Sports FC series also feels stale, with the developers seemingly more interested in milking the game for all it is worth rather than delivering noteworthy improvements.
That latter point is undoubtedly SI’s biggest challenge. They have claimed the new Unity game engine will be a game-changer for the FM series.
However, reading between the lines, it has clearly presented obstacles to SI that they have been unable to overcome up to this point.
While the audience is still there for the series, SI cannot afford to fluff their lines with the next release. FM26 must deliver on the company’s promises. Anything less, and the party will be over.
