Football Manager 25 Canceled, Dev Apologizes for Letting Fans Down

Sega and Sports Interactive have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 across all platforms. This marks the first time the long-running series has skipped a year since its inception in 2004.

Despite ambitious goals—Sports Interactive touted FM25 as a "generational leap" in technical and visual advancements—the transition to the Unity game engine presented significant hurdles. The player experience and user interface, in particular, proved problematic.

The cancellation was announced alongside Sega Sammy Holdings' financial results, which reflect a write-down of FM25 development costs. Sports Interactive explained the decision in a blog post, emphasizing extensive internal discussions and careful consideration with Sega. Sega has confirmed to IGN that no job losses are associated with this decision.

There will be no Football Manager 24 update with 2024/25 season data. Sports Interactive stated that diverting resources to such an update would compromise the development of the next iteration. Discussions are underway with platform holders and licensors to potentially extend FM24 agreements on subscription services like Game Pass.

FM25 faced two prior delays before its ultimate cancellation, with the most recent target set for March 2025. Development efforts are now fully concentrated on Football Manager 26, anticipated for its usual November release window.

Sports Interactive is offering refunds to those who pre-ordered FM25, expressing sincere apologies for the disappointment and delayed communication. The delay in the announcement was attributed to necessary stakeholder compliance and regulatory processes.

The developer reiterated its commitment to delivering high-quality games, acknowledging that FM25, despite progress in some areas, fell short of its ambitious goals regarding overall player experience and interface. Extensive internal testing and consumer feedback confirmed the need for further refinement, making a March 2025 release unrealistic and ultimately leading to the cancellation. Releasing a subpar product was deemed unacceptable.

The team's focus is now solely on Football Manager 26, aiming to deliver a game that meets the expected standards. Further updates on the progress of FM26 will be shared as they become available.