Sega and Sports Interactive have canceled Football Manager 25, the latest installment in the long-running sports sim series, across all platforms. This marks the first time the series has skipped a year since its inception in 2004.
The cancellation comes after extensive internal discussions with Sega, which led to a writedown of costs associated with the game. Sports Interactive had initially expected FM25 to be released in March 2025 but faced significant challenges moving to the Unity game engine, particularly issues with player experience and interface.
Developer Sports Interactive acknowledged that while some areas of the game met their targets, the overarching player experience and interface fell short of expectations. The company decided not to release the game in its current state, despite considering a potential release in 2025, as it would be too late in the football season to expect players to buy another game later.
Instead, Sports Interactive is now shifting its focus to Football Manager 26, which is expected to release in November 2025. The company expressed gratitude for fans’ pre-orders and support, offering refunds.
Sega has confirmed that no roles are impacted by the cancellation, allowing the team to refocus on delivering high-quality games. Sports Interactive emphasized their commitment to creating a new era for Football Manager, with full details to be shared in the future.
Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/football-manager-25-canceled-dev-apologizes-for-letting-fans-down