For the very first time in two decades, the beloved soccer management simulation, Football Manager, is taking a break from its annual release cycle. Football Manager 25, which had already faced two postponements, has been officially canceled just a short while before its anticipated release in March 2025.
In their official announcement, Sports Interactive, the developers of the game, along with publisher Sega, revealed their decision to redirect their efforts towards the next installment in the series. They acknowledged that FM25 wouldn’t meet the quality standards without additional delays—something they deemed unacceptable.
Football Manager 25 was meant to be a groundbreaking milestone for the franchise. Sports Interactive had ambitious plans to deliver the most significant technical and visual enhancements in a generation, setting the stage for a new chapter in the game’s history. Fans were eager for improved animations, a better interface, a revamped match day experience, and the introduction of women’s soccer.
However, it seems the team found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer scale of these changes. The game had already been delayed past its regular fall release to March, a move that would miss a substantial portion of the soccer season. Curiously, there had been no gameplay reveal or even the expected development updates by January’s end.
“Despite our transparent communication about various challenges so far, numerous unforeseen obstacles have hindered our ability to accomplish what we set out to achieve in crucial areas of the game,” Sports Interactive admitted. “We made each decision to delay with the intention of perfecting the game, but as the year turned, it became unmistakably apparent that we wouldn’t reach the required standards, even with the revised timeline.”
The team ultimately decided against releasing an unfinished product with future patches to fix issues. They felt pushing the release date further wouldn’t make sense, as it would be too late in the soccer season. So, they made the tough call to skip this release and pivot their focus to the upcoming version, likely set for fall 2025.
“We’re now directing all our efforts towards ensuring our next release meets our high expectations,” Sports Interactive stated.
The studio expressed regret for the delay in announcing the game’s cancellation, explaining that legal and financial constraints tied to Sega, its publicly traded owner, played a role. They reassured customers that those who pre-ordered would receive automatic refunds. Additionally, they dismissed the idea of updating Football Manager 2024 with current season data as it would impede progress on the next release.
Since 2004’s Football Manager 2005, the series has faithfully maintained an annual release schedule, never extending beyond November. Plus, Sports Interactive’s legacy with soccer management simulations dates back to the early ’90s with Championship Manager.
