FM25: Release shock – Football Manager won’t be released until 2025

The next Football Manager will be released months later than usual.
kicker eSport/Sports Interactive/IMAGO/DeFodi

When Sports Interactive announced at the beginning of September that FM25 would be postponed by a few weeks this year, it was already clear that the tasks they had set themselves were greater than the developer originally assumed. This was recently followed by the start of the pre-order phase and a roadmap including a release date – but that is now obsolete again. Football Manager 2025 will be released not just weeks, but months later than usual. March next year, to be exact.

Steam vs. Germany & Ubisoft in trouble

In /gg episode 54 we talk about EA SPORTS FC 25, new signings at RBLZ, Ubisoft’s decline in value and why some games in Germany could soon disappear from the Steam store. Have fun!

08.10.24 – 00:00
55:04 minutes

Sports Interactive announced this “difficult decision” “after careful consideration” on Thursday. The FM25, which was supposed to usher in “a new era” by switching to the Unity engine, among other things, was “the biggest technical and graphical leap for the series in a whole generation”. Therefore, development is “progressing much more slowly than expected”.

The initially announced weeks simply did not “ensure that the quality and gaming experience meet your expectations and our very high standards,” writes Sports Interactive in the accompanying statement on the homepage.

Is it better to suspend FM25 altogether?

The loyal FM community acknowledged the release shock with some mildness. However, many fans question the point of such a late release. In the comment columns on social media, a number of fans advocated skipping Football Manager 2025 entirely in order to focus fully on FM26. Because in March the current football season is almost over.

In fact, the DFL ended the last Bundesliga matchday of 2024/25 on May 17th – probably only around two months after the currently planned FM25 release. The round of 16 of the Champions League is scheduled to take place in early to mid-March.

Accordingly, many virtual managers would prefer to get a big transfer and squad update for FM24 – and then the next full-fledged Football Manager in autumn 2025. It remains to be seen whether the developer will seriously consider this option. According to Sports Interactive, pre-orderers who would like a refund can contact the respective retailer.