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 series has skipped a year since its inception in 2004. The decision follows a challenging development process marked by significant difficulties transitioning to the Unity game engine. While initially touted as a generational leap in visuals and technology, the player experience and interface fell short of expectations, despite extensive internal review and playtesting.

The announcement, part of Sega Sammy Holdings' financial report, includes a writedown of associated costs. Sega has confirmed that no job losses resulted from this decision. Sports Interactive stated in a blog post that no Football Manager 24 update with 2024/25 season data will be released, prioritizing resources for Football Manager 26. Discussions are underway with platform holders and licensors to extend FM24 agreements on subscription services.

The cancellation follows two previous delays, the last pushing the release to March 2025. Refunds are being offered to those who pre-ordered FM25. Sports Interactive emphasized their commitment to delivering high-quality games and apologized for the delay in announcing the cancellation, citing stakeholder compliance requirements. They explained that releasing FM25 in its current state would not meet their standards, and a later release would be too late in the football season. Development is now fully focused on Football Manager 26, anticipated for its usual November release window.