Football Manager 25 cancelled, developer apologizes for disappointing fans

SEGA and Sports Interactive have been canceled Football Manager 25 On all platforms after all the hard developments. This is the first time the long-running Sports Sim series has skipped a year since it began in 2004.

UK-based developer Sports Interactive says the FM25 is “the biggest technological and visual advancement in the series”. However, it has been working hard to move to the Unity game engine, and player experience and interface are particularly problematic.

The announcement is part of Sega Sammy Holdings' latest financial results, which include writes on game-related costs. Sports Interactive made the decision after “extensive internal discussion and careful consideration” with parent company SEGA. Blog Posts To fans. SEGA has confirmed that no roles in IGN have been affected by the news.

Sports Interactive says there will be no Football Manager 24 Updated with data for the 2024/25 season because it “transfers critical resources from the next version of development, which requires us to focus completely.” The developers are currently in discussions with platform holders and licensors to Extend its FM24 protocol on subscription services such as Game Pass.

FM25 has suffered two delays before it was cancelled, with the latest delay until March 2025. SportsInteractive is now shifting its focus to Football Manager 26, which is expected to be released in the usual November slot.

“We really appreciate your trust and support for the huge number of people who book the FM25 – we regret to let you down,” Sports Interactive said. The refund is being offered.

“We know this will lead to disappointment, especially given that the release date has moved twice and you've been eagerly looking forward to the first game reveal. We can only apologize for the time spent communicating this decision. Because Stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, is today the earliest date we can make this statement.

“We have always been proud of ourselves bringing the best value for money games that bring you countless fun and it makes you feel worthy every moment. With the launch of FM25, we set out to create this series The largest technological and visual progress in the new era has laid the foundation.

“Because of the various challenges we have been open to so far, there are many more unpredictable challenges, despite the amazing efforts our team has made, we have not achieved what we intend to do in enough games yet. Every decision to delay release is to bring the game closer to the required level, but as we reach key milestones in the year of one year, it is obvious that we will not meet the required standards, even if the timeline is adjusted.

“Although many areas of gaming have met our goals, overall player experience and interface are not where we need it. As broad evaluations have shown, including consumer gaming testing, we have a clear idea of ​​the new direction of gaming as we have. Verification, and getting closer – however, we are too far from the standards you deserve.

“We could have released the FM25 in its current state and pinned it online – but that's not the right thing to do. We're also unwilling to go beyond the March release because it's too late in the football season and hope the players will be late this year When buying another game.

“By cancelling, every effort is now focused on ensuring that our next version achieves our goals and achieves the level of quality we all expect. Once we can, we will update you on our progress.

“Thank you for your reading, patience and ongoing support. Now, our full focus is to create a new era for football managers.”

Wesley is the UK news editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter via @wyp100. You can reach Wesley via [email protected] or secretly visit [email protected].