Football Manager 2025 Cancelled After Delays, Developer to Shift Focus to Next Release
Football Manager 25 has been cancelled after a turbulent development cycle and delays. Developer Sports Interactive will now shift its focus to the next release in the long-running football management sim series. This marks the first time an annual FM title will not be released since the series began in 2004 with Football Manager 2005. FM25's launch, initially set for November 2024, had been pushed to March 2025 as Sports Interactive sought more time to polish the game.
“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 and shift our focus to the next release,” the studio said in development update on the FM website Thursday. “For the large numbers of you who pre-ordered FM25, we thank you enormously for your trust and support – we're very sorry to have let you down.”
The cancellation affects all versions of the game across different platforms. Players who pre-ordered FM25 will receive full refunds if their purchase was made through an official SEGA-approved retailer. The refunds will be processed by individual retailers in due course, the developer said.
Sports Interactive regret to inform that we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25.
Full statement: https://t.co/0eUMryrqbg pic.twitter.com/9kxgXQCgJG
The latest update comes merely weeks ahead of the game's delayed launch timeline of March 2025. FM25 had a difficult development period and faced two delays. Sports Interactive struggled to move the entire game to the Unity engine, facing several technical issues in the transition. The target launch date was first moved from the usual early November slot to late November, before being pushed to March 2025.
The studio apologised to fans for the late communication about the game's cancellation, saying stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, meant February 6 was the earliest it could
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