Sports Interactive, the developers of the long-runningFootball Managerseries, has officially announced the cancelation of the latest iteration in the sports management franchise;Football Manager 25. This comes after two previous delays since the initial November 2024 launch, with all pre-orders of the title to be refunded to fans.
After the success of last year’sFootball Manager 24, which became the developer’sbestselling edition in its 30 year history, Sports Interactive revealed some changes toFM25, including women’s football and a switch from the in-house game engine to Unity.The technical and visual enhancements to the series weren’t deemed to be of a suitable standard, as SI released a Development Update announcement forFootball Manager 25, stating that “the overarching player experience and interface is not where we need it to be.“Due to this, there will not be aFootball Managergame for the first time since 2004.
What Went Wrong With Football Manager 25?
The Switch To Unity Has Been Difficult For SI
Sports Interactive aimed to make revolutionary changes toFootball Manager 25,as they intended to create the “biggest technical and visual advancement in the series for a generation,” with enhanced animations, a better interface, and other overall improvements by switching to the Unity engine.The initial November 2024 release date was delayed to March 2025, as SI admitted thatFootball Manager 2025"has been a difficult development cycle for the studio"inan update from October 2024. On 06 February, SI decided to cancel the title outright, providing context ina statement:
Due to a variety of challenges that we’ve been open about to date, and many more unforeseen, we currently haven’t achieved what we set out to do in enough areas of the game, despite the phenomenal efforts of our team. Each decision to delay the release was made with the aim of getting the game closer to the desired level but, as we approached critical milestones at the turn of the year, it became unmistakably clear that we would not achieve the standard required, even with the adjusted timeline. - FM Admin,Footballmanager.com
Sports Interactive considered releasingFM25in anearly-access state, while gradually updating and fixing technical issues while it was available. This was vetoed by the studio, who have been developing sports management simulators likeFootball Manager,NHL Eastside Hockey Manager, andChampionship Managersince 1994. SI was “unwilling” to delayFM25beyond March, as many European football leagues will be finished in just a few months, making the game obsolete.
Our Take: FM25 Delay Will Ensure a Polished FM26
It’s Time For The Series To Refresh After 20 Years
The cancelation ofFootball Manager 25is undoubtedly disappointing to fans, as the series isthe premier sports management experiencewith an unparalleled level of detail and control in managing football teams. The decision demonstrates Sports Interactive’s commitment to delivering a high-quality experience, which is unusually refreshing at a time whenAAA games are launched unfinishedwith numerous glitches and technical faults.Despite aFootball Managergame being released every year since 2004, the series' continued quality will be improved as SI has more time to create an all-newFMexperience with refined features.
EA FC 25 Cheapest Players & SBC Fodder In Ultimate Team
The cheapest players in EA FC 25 will help you easily complete SBCs, all while keeping the coin cost down by targeting Ultimate Team fodder.
The debut of women’s football inFootball Manager 25was a much-anticipated feature, which will now be available inFM26. This comes afterEAFC integrated women’s teams and playersinto their widely successful Ultimate Team game mode, which has been a refreshing addition. While waiting for a newFMexperience until the end of 2025 at the earliest,Football Manager 24is available onXbox Game Pass, and SI has hinted that it may be extended beyond its current March 2025 removal.FM24is an excellent addition to the seriesand makes many improvements to the typicalFMexperience.
