FM 25 is perhaps the most important game in the franchise's history. The game is finally transitioning to a new game engine, the Unity engine. Women's football is making its debut. The entire UI was revamped, and the tactical side of the game also underwent massive changes.
All of this sounds great; however, the development of FM 25 has been anything but smooth sailing. Many beloved features were removed from the game. At the time of writing, there is no news about the FM 25 beta, and the game will be released on the latest date it has ever been released.
So, did Sports Interactive's eagerness to revolutionize the Football Manager franchise hurt FM 25? Or were these necessary decisions that would not significantly affect the product?
Let's find out!
Sometimes Less is More
Usually, developers are criticized for not introducing enough new features and being comfortable with the status quo, especially in sports video games. In this case, it seems that Sports Interactive tried to do too much at the same time when it wasn't necessary.
Sports Interactive has been working on the transition to the Unity engine for quite some time. The introduction of Women's football was already announced in previous years.
But none of these things is a problem. The problem starts when you remove features such as international football, create a club, fantasy draft, and the versus mode.
You are taking too many features out of the game, and the reasons for doing so aren't the best. For example, international football was removed because the feature wasn't going to be able to meet the quality threshold.
Wouldn't it make more sense to keep the feature and many of the others that were removed and complete this franchise revolution in two years instead of one?
Why not keep international football and all the other removed features and make FM 25 a stepping stone to the new age of Football Manager? This way, you have more time to make all of the removed features meet the "quality threshold" and deliver a product in FM 26, where you have all of the wonders of the new age while not having to sacrifice any features to do so.
I think most Football Manager fans would prefer this: a title that keeps most of the features while still making significant changes, with a new game engine, revamped UI, and Women's football. The other big changes could be postponed for next year, giving Sports Interactive more time to iron them out.
The Fear of the Unknown
Everyone fears the unknown, even if just a little, and unfortunately, that's where most FM fans are right now, in the unkonw.
Little is known about the game apart from a couple of screenshots. At the time of writing, there was no beta announcement, and the latest release date was more than a decade ago, so it's easy to see why many fans are worried about it.
How will the game look? Is the new UI good? Did Sports Interactive water down the game too much to appeal to new fans? What changes were made to the tactics menu? Does it still feel like the spreadsheet simulator we know and love?
Fans still have questions. However, the FM 25 roadmap has been revealed, and even if most of the dates have yet to be announced, hopefully, these deep dives will provide the answers fans seek.
FM 25 can still be a great game, and hopefully it is. I've spent hundreds of hours in FM 24, so I wish for nothing more than for FM 25 to be a great game. Hopefully, the title will introduce the major features seamlessly while still keeping the feeling of the old FM alive.
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