Developer Sports Interactive and publisher SEGA have announced the cancelation of Football Manager 25. The game, which had previously been delayed twice and was set to release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox One, Android and iOS in March 2025, will not be released on any systems.
Charging Ahead
Football Manager is a soccer simulation game series that has been around since 2004 as a spiritual successor to Eidos Interactive’s Championship Manager. Back in the day, the series was called Worldwide Soccer Manager in North America, while Europe already had it using the same name. The name changed to be the same worldwide starting in the 2010 iteration.
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Ever since Football Manager 2005, the series has had consistent yearly releases, just as usual for sports games. Generally, each of them would be released right before the next year starts, so players could get an updated entry that they could play alongside the real life tournaments. Unfortunately, the same didn’t happen this time, and the company had to delay it to March 2025 before ultimately considering it impossible to release the game.
According to thedevelopment updatepost, Sports Interactive failed to reach the target quality level for the game. The delay was meant as a way for the developers to deliver a quality game, but they were not satisfied with some of the core aspects.
In the text, they specifically mention that the general player experience and the interface were below their standards. Their playtesting sessions suggested that more time would be necessary to reach what they wanted, but pushing the release beyond March would make it come too late in the year.
As such, instead of spending more time on fixing it, the companies decided to cancel Football Manager 25 entirely. While the team had already noticed it would be impossible to meet their standards by the end of 2024, it was only possible to comment on the matter now due to stakeholder compliance.
Now their resources will go into making the next iteration in the series, so right now they’re aiming for a game aligned with the 2026 soccer season instead. The developer will provide updates about the development in the future.
For anyone who has already pre-ordered the game, it’ll be possible to obtain a refund. Official SEGA-approved retailers, like Amazon and Walmart, will automatically handle this, giving the money back in full. The companies ask that players inquire their store about the refund.
As a result, Sports Interactive and SEGA are currently trying to extend the license timing for Football Manager 2024. Previously, the game was revealed to only remain available up to March 2025, when the new entry would release. With this cancelation, however, the team hopes to keep the game going further if possible. Negotiations are underway, and though the team will have no chance to update the game with the newest season data, it may still be possible to keep some of the current experience available.
Now, their resources will go into making the next iteration in the series, so right now they’re aiming for a game aligned with the 2026 soccer season instead. The developer will provide updates about the development in the future.
Though Football Manager 25 was canceled, the developer still believes that the next entry in the series will help create a new era for the franchise by evolving the series for the next generation.
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