Football Manager 2025 release decision made | OneFootball

Sports Interactive have revealed that the much-delayed Football Manager 2025 will not be released at all, with attention shifting to next season.

The immensely popular product was twice delayed already, with the latest update pushing it back from November 2024 to March 2025. However, due to "a variety of challenges", FM25 didn't meet Sports Interactive's target of a 'generational' improvement. After discussion with SEGA, it was decided that the existing product was "too far away from the standards you deserve" and there will be no release this season.

The game in its current guise has been produced every year since 2005, with Football Manager '24 the most popular of any previous iteration, boasting as many as seven million users at one point.

The full statement from Sports Interactive read: "Sports Interactive regret to inform that, following extensive internal discussion and careful consideration with SEGA, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 and shift our focus to the next release.

"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.

"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 FM25 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 FM25 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."