Football Manager 2023 now has a release date, with news starting to spill out regarding new features coming to this year's game.
Not only will FM23 see the introduction of the game on PS5 hardware, but it will also see another exciting first, with the Champions Leauge, Europa League and Europa Conference League licenses all present in this year's game.
Whilst we don't know how these new licenses will manifest in FM23, we can certainly take a good guess that it will make European nights feel bigger and more exciting than ever.
Football Manager 2023 European Licenses
Sports Interactive has confirmed that Football Manager 2023 will see the UEFA European competitions officially licensed in this year's game.
This means that items such as logos, branding and other UEFA-related paraphernalia will appear in this year's game.
However, FM Gaffer Miles Jacobson has been quick to reassure players that the license won't be lazily utilised, with the words 'not just slapping a logo' reassuring concerned fans.
With that in mind, what kind of impact could the arrival of this new license have on Football Manager 2023?
Matchday Improvements
The Football Manager matchday experience has vastly improved in recent years, with new features added to make matches feel more exciting and important than ever before.
The arrival of the UEFA licenses could well take this to next level, with things like the Champions League anthem and press conference banners simply minor changes that would enhance the playing experience.
Our best guess for the implementation of this new license would come in the form of special screens and a complete change in aesthetic leading up to matches, similar to what we see in FIFA's Career Mode.
FM could - of course - take things to the next level, with European group stage draws and other menial tasks now taken to the next level with the arrival of this exciting new license.
Last year, we spoke to Nic Madden and CJ Ramson to discuss the gameplay improvements in FM22, with a quote for CJ potentially signalling big things for the future:
We don't really look to put things in the game that will just look good, or that will just be a good feature, we really want to implement things that will improve the gameplay.
Ultimately, Football Manager 2023 has captured the Champions League licenses to make the playing experience even better, and we can wait to see just how deep the implementation of these special competitions will go in this year's game.