Publisher SEGA and developer Sports Interactive have announced that Football Manager 25 has been cancelled after being delayed. The developer will instead focus on the next Football Manager title. The developer stated that it “would not achieve the standard required.” The game was previously set to launch in March for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, and Android.
The full details via the developer:
We know this will come as a huge disappointment, especially given that the release date has already moved twice, and you have been eagerly anticipating the first gameplay reveal. We can only apologise for the time it has taken to communicate this decision. Due to stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, today was the earliest date that we could issue this statement.
We have always prided ourselves on delivering the best value for money games that bring you countless hours of enjoyment, that feel worth every moment and every penny you spend. With the launch of Football Manager 25 we set out to create the biggest technical and visual advancement in the series for a generation, laying the building blocks for a new era.
Due to a variety of challenges that we’ve been open about to date, and many more unforeseen, we currently haven’t achieved what we set out to do in enough areas of the game, despite the phenomenal efforts of our team. Each decision to delay the release was made with the aim of getting the game closer to the desired level but, as we approached critical milestones at the turn of the year, it became unmistakably clear that we would not achieve the standard required, even with the adjusted timeline.
Whilst many areas of the game have hit our targets, the overarching player experience and interface is not where we need it to be. As extensive evaluation has demonstrated, including consumer playtesting, 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.
We could have pressed on, released Football Manager 25 in its current state, and fixed things down the line—but that’s not the right thing to do. We were also unwilling to go beyond a March release as it would be too late in the football season to expect players to then buy another game later in the year.
Through the cancellation, every effort is now focused on ensuring that our next release achieves our goal and hits the quality level we all expect. We will update you on how we are progressing with that as soon as we are able to do so.
Thank you for reading, your patience and your continued support. Our full focus now returns to creating a new era for Football Manager.
—Sports Interactive
FAQs
Does this affect all platforms and versions of Football Manager 25?
Yes, all versions are cancelled and Football Manager 25 will not be released on any platforms.
I pre-ordered the game on PC / Mac how do I obtain my refund?
Pre-purchase orders for Football Manager 25 will automatically be refunded in full if purchased through an official SEGA-approved retailer. Retailers will process refunds in due course, for any enquiries please contact your point of purchase.
Why didn’t you cancel Football Manager 25 earlier when you opted to delay to March?
At the time of the decision, based on the data available, it was our strong belief that we could reach our quality target level and deliver a game our players would be happy with, despite the delay. The challenges encountered beyond this point meant we were unable to achieve that.
A Football Manager 25 update was promised in January. Why the delay in sharing this information?
As stated above, stakeholder compliance impacted the sharing of information until now which relates to SEGA Sammy Holdings being a publicly traded company.
Will there be an Football Manager 24 update with 2024 / 2025 season data?
No. As we said in October when the game was delayed, this is a substantial undertaking and would divert critical resources away from the development of the next release which requires our full focus.
Will Football Manager 24 remain playable on subscription platforms?
We are currently in discussions with our various platform partners and licensors and hope to extend our Football Manager 24 agreements. We will provide an update on this in due course.
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An announcement trailer was also released.