It would have damaged us forever': Football Manager director opens up about the embarrassing cancellation decision

"Football Manager 25 was cancelled by Sports Interactive (Image credit: Sports Interactive) Football Manager 25 was cancelled. The announcement was blunt, honest and clear. Football Manager is one of the lynchpins of football gaming and the demise of FM25 was understandably tough for developers Sports Interactive. Following extensive internal discussion and careful consideration with [FM publisher] SEGA, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 and shift our focus to the next release, read the announcement in February."

"The response from fans was disappointed but mixed, and SI's transparency worked in its favour. FM players were naturally upset at the lack of a refresh last season but appreciative of the fact that the release of a game that wasn't ready wouldn't have been to anyone's benefit. The overarching player experience and interface is not where we need it to be we're too far away from the standards you deserve, said the developer."

"The reason for the cancellation was really simple, which is I wasn't happy with the quality of the game, Jacobson said. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. If we had released FM25 in the state that it was in, it wouldn't have been good value for money and it would have damaged us forever."

Sports Interactive cancelled Football Manager 25 after extensive internal discussion and coordination with SEGA, citing unacceptable quality levels. The development team judged the player experience and interface to be far below the standards expected and concluded a release would offer poor value and risk long-term damage. Fans reacted with disappointment but acknowledged the transparency and the rationale for delaying the product. The studio admitted to over-ambition on planned changes and encountered development problems that compounded issues. The company described the cancellation as expensive but necessary and redirected efforts toward the next Football Manager release.

Read at www.fourfourtwo.com