Developers behind the iconic Football Manager series of games have cancelled the release of the 2025 edition.
The cult game, which originally launched as Championship Manager more than 30 years ago, has built up a huge following – attracting millions of players with its in-depth coverage of football at all levels, including the lower leagues of the SPFL. FM25, which was due to be released in November, was set to be the first in the series to include women’s football and be officially licensed by the English Premier League.
Billed as “the beginning of a new era for Football Manager” the game was going to be the first built using a new engine, with a host of popular features including create-a-club, challenge mode, versus mode and fantasy draft all axed. However on the brink of SEGA declaring their latest financial results, a 2.30am statement posted on social media revealed that the game won’t be launched – and that teams have now switched their focus to FM26, due out later this year.
The statement from Sports Interactive said: “Sports Interactive regret to inform that, following extensive internal discussion and careful consideration with SEGA, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 and shift our focus to the next release. For the large numbers of you who pre-ordered FM25, we thank you enormously for your trust and support – we’re very sorry to have let you down.
“We know this will come as a huge disappointment, especially given that the release date has already moved twice, and you have been eagerly anticipating the first gameplay reveal. We can only apologise for the time it has taken to communicate this decision. Due to stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, today (February 7) was the earliest date that we could issue this statement.
“We have always prided ourselves on delivering the best value for money games that bring you countless hours of enjoyment, that feel worth every moment and every penny you spend. With the launch of FM25 we set out to create the biggest technical and visual advancement in the series for a generation, laying the building blocks for a new era.
“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.
“Whilst many areas of the game have hit our targets, the overarching player experience and interface is not where we need it to be. As extensive evaluation has demonstrated, including consumer playtesting, we have clear validation for the new direction of the game and are getting close – however, we’re too far away from the standards you deserve.
“We could have pressed on, released FM25 in its current state, and fixed things down the line – but that’s not the right thing to do. We were also unwilling to go beyond a March release as it would be too late in the football season to expect players to then buy another game later in the year.
“Through the cancellation, every effort is now focused on ensuring that our next release achieves our goal and hits the quality level we all expect. We will update you on how we are progressing with that as soon as we are able to do so. Thank you for reading, your patience and your continued support. Our full focus now returns to creating a new era for Football Manager.”
On social media gutted fans were sympathetic to the decision. One said: “Whilst this is hugely disappointing from everyone who makes/plays the Football Manager Series – it sounds like the right call. Awful year for the FM space, write it off and come back stronger. Really feel for those whose livelihood is effected by this, my thoughts are with them.” Another added: “Cancelling the game instead of bringing out a broken one is probably for the best but I can’t help but feel so disappointed in how this has all played out.”