Football Manager Maker Says Releasing FM25 Would Have Harmed the Franchise
Sports Interactive explains the cancellation of Football Manager 2025 and previews new features for FM26, including women’s football.
After a year on the sidelines, Football Manager will return later this year. But Sports Interactive’s studio director, Miles Jacobson, calls the cancellation of FM25 “embarrassing” yet necessary.
Fans were disappointed when the 2025 edition was first delayed and then scrapped in February. Jacobson told INLIBER Newsbeat that development had encountered serious issues.
“We know that many were upset, but we made the call for the right reasons,” he said. “I wasn’t happy with the quality, and I couldn’t let people spend their money on a substandard product.”
Since its origins in 1992 as Championship Manager, the series has released annually without pause—until now. Some fans felt the studio’s communication was unclear, but Jacobson insists Sports Interactive has been as transparent as possible, limited by stock market disclosure rules. “If we had launched FM25 as it was, it would have damaged us forever,” he said. “This was the most expensive decision we’ve ever made.”
FM26
All planned technical and visual advancements for FM25, including a new game engine, updated graphics and a redesigned interface, will debut in Football Manager 26. Jacobson noted that an intended shift from email inboxes to a WhatsApp-based system did not work as planned.
FM26 will also become the first in the series to feature women’s football, a move Jacobson initially questioned but reversed after England’s Lionesses urged its inclusion. Adding the women’s game required building a new player database and capturing female motion data.
Streamer Gwen Archer says the one-year delay was frustrating but understands the need for a polished release. “Including women’s football opens new experiences for all players,” she adds.
By postponing FM25 to maintain high quality, Sports Interactive aims to protect its reputation and deliver a more robust Football Manager 26.
This topic was reported by BBC.
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