Football Manager 25 Has Been Canceled to Focus on Next Installment
Sports Interactive has formally announced the cancellation of Football Manager 25, a move that follows two previous delays of the anticipated football management simulation. The development studio, in collaboration with publisher SEGA, shared that resources will now be reallocated toward the next main entry in the franchise. This decision arrives after the team concluded it could not meet the high standards and features originally planned for FM25, even with an already revised timeline.
Sports Interactive addressed player disappointment, acknowledging that many fans had eagerly awaited the game’s first gameplay reveal. They also explained the struggle to balance delivering the “biggest technical and visual advancement” in the series with ensuring the result felt polished and worth purchasing:
“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.”
— From the official statement
Why FM25 Won’t See the Light of Day
The core issue, according to Sports Interactive, was the overall player experience and interface, which did not align with their vision or community standards. While certain aspects of FM25 met internal benchmarks, the studio determined that releasing it in a partially finished state would not serve players well—especially when further delays might stretch into late spring or summer 2025, making it less viable commercially and ethically.
Impact on the Series & Future Entries
Pre-Order Refunds: Those who pre-ordered Football Manager 25 can expect an automatic refund.
No 2024/25 Update for FM24: Although some fans had hoped for an extended data update in Football Manager 24 to tide them over, Sports Interactive explained that diverting resources for such an update could detract from their focus on delivering a robust new entry.
Next Installment: No details are available yet on what form Football Manager 2026 will take or precisely when it might debut. Historically, Football Manager titles have launched between November and December.
Sports Interactive stressed that while it was “tempting to push on and fix the game post-launch,” doing so would compromise user trust and overshadow the company’s core principle of providing quality, value-driven experiences. Now, with FM25 formally off the table, attention turns to how the Football Manager series will evolve—and whether the team can leverage the lessons learned to deliver a stronger, more polished entry in 2026.
How do you feel about Sports Interactive canceling FM25 entirely rather than releasing a version that could be updated over time? Share whether you believe this approach respects the community’s expectations, or if you would have preferred incremental fixes post-launch.
