Fans of the sport of soccer have been eagerly awaiting the release of Football Manager 25. Sports Interactive has released a version of the simulation game for the last 32 years. Players are able to take on the role of a manager of the football club, featuring favorite teams and players. The goal is to build a dynasty while also keeping players and fans happy. The latest release has been delayed twice. In September, the studio said it would be delayed until November. They delayed it further in October, targeting a March 2025 release. Today, Sports Interactive announced they are scraping the whole project, canceling the release of the game.

Football Manager 25 Scrapped

The developer posted a long message to fans early Friday morning. In an extensive message, they did their best to explain what happened with Football Manager 25. It seemed like the perfect storm of issues. The problems and the deadlines continued to add up, and it became clear the game would not be ready anytime soon.

“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. Each decision to delay the release was made with the aim of getting the game closer to the desired level but, as we approached critical milestones at the turn of the year, it became unmistakably clear that we would not achieve the standard required, even with the adjusted timeline.”

This is a huge disappointment to fans of the series. Many sports fans look forward to the yearly release of the game. Players want the updated rosters, features, and other gameplay tweaks. Fans of the series have been anticipating the release and were shocked to hear it would be canceled altogether. What makes this franchise so popular amongst players?

What Sets This Game Apart?

Football Manager 25 offers a different take on a sports game. EA has its own franchise where players can take control of a team or player at their favorite club. Football Manager gives gamers a different experience. Players do not control the players themselves. They control practice schedules, in-game adjustments, player signings, and everything else involved in running a team. The franchise started in 1992 under the name Championship Manager and has been a fan-favorite ever since.

The cancelation is even more shocking because last year’s version broke records for the franchise. Seven million players took on the mantle of manager, making it the most popular in the series. The hope was they could build on that success, but unforeseen circumstances caused the game to get scrapped. This shows how delicate the process of making a video game can be. Even with the best intentions, things can go wrong. It does say something about the developers that they would rather cancel the game rather than put out a subpar product. While Football Manager 25 won’t happen, fans hope that next year, they can get back to building their football dynasties.