Sports Interactive and SEGA have confirmed the cancellation of Football Manager 25. For the first time in 20 years, players won't get to enjoy the newest iteration of the historied sports simulation franchise.
The news broke via a press release late on February 6. Sports Interactive stated that they'd rather give the development team time to properly release the next evolution in FM history than deliver a half-baked product.
The initial delays were a cause for concern. It already meant that Football Manager 25 had missed its initial late 2024 launch period. It was the first calendar year in which fans didn't get to play a new title in the series in two decades.
Studio Director Miles Jacobson explained in a blog post back in June 2023 that the jump to Unity would allow Sports Interactive to develop a fresh, more dynamic, and ultimately more modern matchday experience for FM25. It would have included a graphical overhaul as well, something the series hasn't received since 2017.
Talks about switching engines to modernize the series started in January 2020. It was such a daunting task that the original plans to make FM22 the technological leap the franchise needed were scrapped, setting on 2025 as the target year to introduce a completely new experience.
In a FAQ section, SI expanded on the radio silence early in the year after promising fans an update. As it turns out, the Sega Sammy holdings earnings forecast for their fiscal year set to end on March 31 was released mere hours after the announcement of FM25's cancellation.
As you might have guessed, they were revised to include the cancellation of the sports simulator and the impact it will have moving forward for the company.
Sports Interactive also mentioned they will be working with several partners to keep Football Manager 2024 on services such as Game Pass or Netflix (FM Mobile).
Fans are understandably upset at this news. However, many are also willing to give SI praise for stating that they'd rather lose out on profit from releasing an unfinished product, ultimately losing consumer trust for the sake of a quick return on investment.