Football Manager 25 Canceled, Dev Apologizes for Letting Fans Down

Sega and Sports Interactive have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 across all platforms, marking the first time the beloved sports simulation series has skipped a year since its inception in 2004. The UK-based developer, Sports Interactive, had high hopes for FM25, promising "the biggest technical and visual advancement for the series in a generation." However, the transition to the Unity game engine proved challenging, particularly with the player experience and interface, leading to the cancellation.

The announcement was part of Sega Sammy Holdings’ latest financial results, which included a writedown of costs associated with the game. After "extensive internal discussion and careful consideration" with parent company Sega, the decision was finalized. Sega confirmed to IGN that no job roles were impacted by this news.

Sports Interactive also announced that there won’t be any Football Manager 24 update with 2024/25 season data, as it "would divert critical resources away from the development of the next release which requires our full focus." The developer is currently negotiating with platform holders and licensors to possibly extend its FM24 agreements on subscription services like Game Pass.

FM25 had already faced two delays before its cancellation, with the latest scheduled for March 2025. Now, Sports Interactive is redirecting its efforts towards Football Manager 26, aiming for a release in the traditional November slot.

In a heartfelt message to fans, Sports Interactive expressed gratitude and regret: "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." Refunds are being offered to those affected.

The studio acknowledged the disappointment, especially following multiple delays and anticipation for the first gameplay reveal. They cited the need to adhere to stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, as the reason for the delayed announcement. Sports Interactive has always aimed to deliver value-for-money games that offer countless hours of enjoyment, and with FM25, they intended to usher in a new era for the series. However, due to various challenges, the game did not meet the desired standards in crucial areas, particularly the player experience and interface.

Despite extensive efforts and consumer playtesting validating the new direction, the game was still too far from the quality level fans deserve. The team could have released FM25 as is and fixed it later, but they believed that was not the right approach. A release beyond March would have been too late in the football season, making it unreasonable to expect players to purchase another game later in the year.

With the cancellation, all efforts are now concentrated on ensuring that Football Manager 26 achieves the high-quality standards expected by both the team and the fans. Sports Interactive promised to keep fans updated on the progress of the next release and thanked them for their patience and continued support, reaffirming their commitment to creating a new era for Football Manager.