Football Manager game CANCELLED as creators Sports Interactive issue grovelling apology

Football Manager 25 has been CANCELLED after being hit with unprecedented delays. The latest edition of the game - made by Sports Interactive - was originally meant to be released in November. But it was confirmed earlier this year that it had been blighted by serious delays as developers attempted to move to a new ‘Unity’ engine. The release was already pushed back to late November, while it was announced in December that fans would have to wait until March to get their hands on a copy. But Sports Interactive have now confirmed that the game has been binned entirely, with gamers forced to wait until at least next season.

It is the first campaign without a full Football Manager game since its original release in 2004. A lengthy statement was posted by Sports Interactive confirming the decision. It read: “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. What are your thoughts on Football Manager being cancelled? Share your thoughts in the comments below. “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.”.

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