Sports Interactive has announced the shock cancellation of Football Manager 25, an unexpected and in the context of the series unprecedented decision. Football Manager games have been coming out like clockwork since 2004 under SI and SEGA, never missing a year in those two decades, and even the initial delays to FM25 were unheard-of for the series (the release was pushed back twice, and caused considerable fan grumbling). But no-one expected an outright cancellation.
"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," reads an official statement, adding that all pre-orders will be refunded.
"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."
Good old stakeholder compliance, eh? Jokes aside, the statement goes on to give the rationale for cancelling this entry of the series and, honestly, it sounds like the mooted upgrades FM25 was set to include were just a step too far within the annual release schedule.
"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," reads the statement, which is credited to Sports Interactive rather than any individual.
"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."
The statement says SI thinks it has a clear direction and knows what it's doing, but is currently "too far away from the standards you deserve." One of the more plausible elements of the reasoning here is the football season itself (the last Premier League games, for example, are held on May 25, 2025) and how delaying the game rather than cancelling it would result in the game coming out at a weird time in relation to the real-world sport. This is not spurious: Part of the simulation's whole appeal is how authentically in lockstep it is with the world of football.
"We could have pressed on, released FM25 in its current state, and fixed things down the line," says SI, "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."
Rare honesty there from the makers of an annualised sports title. SI says it is now focused on the "next release" and "creating a new era for Football Manager", promising an update on what will presumably be Football Manager 2026 "as soon as we are able to do so."
When this news was announced there were certain members of the PCG team wearing what can only be described as hangdog expressions. The people who love this game really love this game, and for some it's basically their main entertainment choice (no judgement, I was obsessed with FM for some years).
Which is probably why the reaction to this news is not the usual mix of frothing rage and insults being hurled that is par for the course when gaming communities receive bad news. Football Manager fans, or the ones who care enough to post online about it at least, seem to be mixed between disappointment and relief, with many outright calling this the right decision.
"Honestly? Quite happy with this," writes Any_Witness_1000 on the subreddit. "Too many companies let you pay full price for unfinished unpolished mess hoping to fix shit down the line. It must be a humbling experience to return the money and scratch the game, perhaps even some heads at the management level will roll. I applaud them for this decision... much better to be honest and admit a mistake."
These sentiments are broadly shared by others. "Commendable they didn't just send out shit and charge us again in November for the finished version with a squad update," says Comprehensive_Rub_62, who clearly enjoys a magic sponge. "Looking forward to it. More optimistic now than I was tbf."
The most upvoted comment on the FM subreddit by far goes along these lines, but adds the cautionary note that the pressure is now on FM26 big time. "Is this the right decision? Yes," says 31x13. "Will there be massive pressure on FM26 to deliver on a lot of things now? Also yes."
Sports Interactive chief Miles Jacobson has been off social media since late last year, and hasn't said anything about the cancellation across various platforms. The game's website has the cancellation announcement, alongside an extra FAQ about how to obtain refunds which adds that it won't be issuing an update to FM24 (some players want an updated database with current squads) because it would just take more focus away from what's next.
Football Manager has always been an unusual game, but I've never seen a fanbase react to a cancellation in quite this way. I'm sure there are a few people screaming blue murder out there but, generally, the sense is of relief as much as disappointment, with that little element of expectation mixed-in. If football is about anything, it's about glorious comebacks. Later this year we'll find out if SI has one in them.
