Well, here’s some unexpected news for Football Manager fans. Sports Interactive has officially announced that Football Manager 25 will not be released after all. It seems like they’ve hit a few bumps in the road, imagine trying to bake your favorite cake only to find out you’re missing half the ingredients!
The studio shared this decision in a post on the game’s website, stating they’ll now pivot to focus on their next installment. “We know this will come as a huge disappointment,” they expressed, especially since players had already seen two delays and were looking forward to gameplay reveals.
Football Manager 25, originally set for release last fall, faced another delay into March 2025. The cause? A transition from their Sports Interactive Operating System (SIOS) to the Unity engine, a change that sounds more complicated than assembling IKEA furniture without instructions! Despite their best efforts, the team felt they weren’t hitting the marks needed for an enjoyable player experience.
The developers noted that while some aspects met expectations, they weren’t satisfied with how everything came together. They further explained, “As extensive evaluation has demonstrated…we have clear validation for the new direction of the game and are getting close – however, we’re too far away from the standards you deserve.” Now that’s honesty right there!
Interestingly enough, even though they could have launched it in its current state and patched things up later on, like tossing some extra frosting on that cake, they chose not to do so. They didn’t want to disappoint loyal fans who’ve been supporting them through thick and thin.
The reasoning behind not canceling earlier? There was genuine hope within the team that they could meet their targets despite setbacks. Unfortunately, as challenges piled up like dirty dishes after dinner, it became clear those goals were out of reach.
“Through the cancellation,” they continued, “every effort is now focused on ensuring our next release achieves our goal and hits the quality level we all expect.” Now, isn’t that just something? Players who pre-ordered can expect full refunds through their retailers, so at least there’s a silver lining amidst this gloomy cloud!
