Summary
TheFootball Managerfranchise began in 2005 when the team of developers from the popularChampionship Managerfranchise split from their publishers at Eidos Interactive. What followed this creation is one of the longest-running andmost successful sports management simulators of all time, with the latest entry in the series,Football Manager 2024,having a record player count of over 14 million players. The series' yearly entries have gradually improved the match engine over time, initially beginning with just match commentary before upgrading to 2D visuals, eventually adding a 3D match engine inFootball Manager 2009.
Football Manager 25was supposed to bring about the biggest change in nearly two decades with an upgrade to the Unity Engine, bringing an overhauled match engine and UI. However, to the dismay of many fans,the game was delayed twice before its eventual cancellation. With many fans concerned about the future of the franchise,Football Manager 26has to get a lot of things right, but what are some things the game has to do afterFootball Manager 25’s cancellation?
1Make Sure The Match Engine Is Playable
The New Match Engine Is A Key Selling Point That Can’t Release Broken
The switch to the Unity Engine has caused problems for the development team at Sports Interactive. Redesigning a whole game in a short space of time to work on a whole new engine is a task thatwas a stretch too far forFootball Manager 25.
Many fans of the franchise are undoubtedlynervous about the prospect of entering the new engine, with the expectation being it’ll take a few years to get it right. This is something that Sports Interactive needs to get right. If the match engine is released in a broken state, it could be the final nail in the coffin after the cancellation ofFootball Manager 25. The bright side for the developers is that the fans know it won’t be perfect on the first try, but with a two-year development cycle now in place, expectations have increased.
2International Management
Initially Slated To Be Removed From FM25
When the switch to the Unity Engine was announced, many features were cut to meet the initial deadline, including the Create-A-Club and Draft modes. The most controversial change for many fans wasthe removal of international management.
With an extra eight months to get things right forFootball Manager 26, the possibility of international management being added back into the game is an option. If Sports Interactive could add international management to the game, this would go a long way with fans,showing that they have listened to the communityand have used their extra development time wisely. However, given no one knows the current state of the game is operating in, it wouldn’t be surprising if this feature remained on the cutting room floor forFootball Manager 26.
3Introduce Women’s Football Well
Football Manager 26 Will Be The First Game To Feature Women’s Football
WhenFootball Manager 25was announced, the team behind the game revealed Women’s football would be added to the game, with managers able to take over teams from both Men’s and Women’s football for the first time in the series. With players able to manage both men’s and women’s teams in the same career,one area that will need focus is balancing in the game.
The game has a focus on realismand therefore has to get this addition right, not only to properly represent the modern landscape of Women’s football but to ensure the addition is worthwhile to the game. The development team has already gone on record stating they have done hours of additional motion capture with female players and have re-written the language within the game to make it gender appropriate.
4Ensure The UI Is User Friendly
When FM25 Was Announced, A New UI Split Opinions
WhenFootball Manager 25was first revealed, an updated UI was shown off in a few screenshots which split opinion among the fanbase. With the attempt to modernize the game, the new UI looked to streamline the game to make it more accessible and easier to operate.
With the game showing that it will be changing the existing system for a more focused tile and panel display, some fans began to compare this to previousFM Touchentries. These previousFM Touchversions of the game are a more simplified approach designed to be played on the go,with the removal of some of the depth in the PC versions ofFootball Manager. The new UI needs to be a huge improvement on previous iterations, otherwise it could turn away some players for good.
5Release The Game On Time
Sports Interactive Needs To Be Transparent And Release The Game On Time
When the cancellation ofFootball Manager 25was announced, some fans were disappointed by the lack of communication from the development team at Sports Interactive before that point. While many players understood the massive task the development team had taken on with this latest entry, it still came as a shock to the community that the game had been canceled, especially after its previous delays.
Within this comes the most important thingFootball Manager 26has to get right:the game needs to be released on timewith the development team being transparent and open about the progress being made. The series is in a strange place with this being the first time they haven’t released a yearly entry due to the monumental task of upgrading to the Unity Engine. This makesFootball Manager 26crucial to the success of the franchise moving forward. If they were to miss another deadline, it could spell the end of the much-loved series.
