After a difficult development period consisting of multiple delays, Sega and Sports Interactive has canceled the upcoming Football Manager 25 which was supposed to release in March this year. The game was having significant development problems with it’s Unity game engine along with it’s user interface both of which were causing gameplay issues that could severely detract from the overall experience.
Although the development of Football Manager 25 was easily the most ambitious in the history of the franchise with developer Sports Interactive calling the game as “the biggest technical and visual advancement for the series in a generation.” And while it’s not uncommon for hugely ambitious and innovative games to eventually end up in development hell for far too long (cough Half Life 3 cough) before the devs decide to cancel the project entirely, the integrity from the devs in cases like this deserves to be praised nonetheless for prioritizing the players’ experience over everything else.
“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.” The devs stated in a blog post to fans.
Sports interactive has also deeply apologized to everyone who was looking forward to playing Football Manager 25.
“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,” Sports Interactive said. Refunds are being offered.
“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 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.”
Following the cancellation, the devs have shifted focus to Football Manager 26, which is expected to release in the usual window of November.
