Football Manager 25 Canceled, Dev Apologizes for Letting Fans Down

Sports Interactive and Sega have announced the cancellation of Football Manager 25 across all platforms. This marks the first time the long-running series has skipped a year since its inception in 2004. The decision follows significant challenges encountered during development, primarily related to the transition to the Unity game engine. The developers aimed for a "generational leap" in visuals and technology, but ultimately fell short of their own quality standards.

The announcement, part of Sega Sammy Holdings' financial report, includes a writedown of associated costs. Sports Interactive assures fans that no job losses resulted from the cancellation. Furthermore, there will be no Football Manager 24 update incorporating 2024/25 season data, as resources are fully dedicated to Football Manager 26. Discussions are underway with platform holders and licensors to potentially extend FM24 agreements on subscription services.

The cancellation follows two previous delays, with the final projected release pushed to March 2025. Pre-orders for FM25 will be refunded. Sports Interactive cited the player experience and interface as key areas where the game didn't meet expectations, even after extensive testing. They emphasized their commitment to delivering a high-quality product and stated that releasing a subpar game wasn't an option. Development is now fully focused on Football Manager 26, slated for a November release. The developers apologized for the delay and the disappointment caused by the cancellation.