FM 25 DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

[maxjam]

What and absolute mess... Features removed, lacklustre roadmap, open pre-orders then postponed until the season is virtually over.

Releasing FM25 in March means we'll be getting FM26 a few months later - If SI are scrambling to get FM25 ready for a March release other than an updated database what new features should we expect in FM26?

At this point and talking purely from a gameplay perspective surely the sensible approach would be to cancel FM25, get the game actually ready for release and use the extra time to put back in the features that had been previously removed. 

Financially speaking, I personally think they will also take a loss releasing 2 games in 2026, would completely skipping FM25 be that much more of a hit?

Personally as its a new engine, I would release FM25 in March as a free beta, use the extra time to gather feedback, fix any issues and build hype for FM26.

[davehanson]

4 minutes ago, renato. said:

By converting now, FM in Brazil worth more or less 1/4 the minimum salary here. Imagine spending 2x of the minimum salary in Football Manager over an year.

FM isn't avaliable in Brazil is it? So if you are 'buying' it then no wonder it is expensive. Here in the UK it works out at much less than 1% of an average income per year - and that's buying 2 copies. 

[Hummingbird Saltalamacchia]

Does the mobile version also come out next March?

[metal_guitarist]

The only departures will be people from this thread if they keep calling for people to lose their jobs over this. Zak posted above asking for people to stop it, take note of it. You can display your dissatisfaction/frustration without needing to resort to it. 

[dannyo666]

Id rather wait for a better game...Why not?Very disappointing for fans 100% but better than putting out a half a** game.....Hopefully while we wait we can see some fine tuning of FM 24?

[DavutOzkan]

If they had any plans for a FM24 database update, it would have been in this announcement. 

It's not going to happen. We all know it would be a great thing, but please don't expect it to happen. 

[mp_87]

Oh dear.

To be honest, not that surprising. As I commented a few weeks ago, that press release they did just screamed concern, building to panic, if you read between the lines. When Miles felt the need to drop that he had to cancel his holiday, was patently obvious things weren't going well and they were scrambling.

It is a fairly brave decision, but the problems must be totally game-breaking. Lets be honest, SI often get away with editions that have plenty of holes in and half-baked concepts, the vast majority of FM'ers after all are casual players who just don't care about in-depth stress testing of the game and holding it under a microscope. Four month delay suggests they're not really close to finishing the game.

A March release, and with 26 you'd suppose closely followed behind that, will have to be managed well. I think it is unrealistic that SI will write off even more money by not putting out 25 altogether, but this is going to require some careful thought - both in terms of customer relations, and the people building the game and not having a domino effect on impacting the development of the next edition.

What is obviously clear though is that SI, at long last, need to overhaul their PR and communications. If it doesn't happen after this, it never will tbh. User complaints in this aspect have been going on for eons, you always get the sheepish "yeah, we know, we're going to try and do better in future", and it never really happens. They've got themselves into a right mess this time, that stuff like pre-orders were going ahead is just pure LOL, and if there aren't changes to the comms operation after this then words fail me.

[FCP_Football]

It's better than releasing the game in November if it's broken. Probably better to can the whole 25 release though imo.

[ForTheLoveOfTheGame]

If binning FM25 means that the new annual release lands end of September in future then please do it. 
 

FM26 in September 2025 is a good way forward for the future of the franchise. And the way it should be in my opinion - November has always been too late into the season.

Edited Thursday at 15:17 by ForTheLoveOfTheGame

[renato.]

1 minute ago, davehanson said:

FM isn't avaliable in Brazil is it? So if you are 'buying' it then no wonder it is expensive. Here in the UK it works out at much less than 1% of an average income per year - and that's buying 2 copies. 

I did the conversion directly from Steam, not from alternative sellers. Considering taxes it would cost even more than what I think, I guess.

[busngabb]

I was expecting a delay if I'm honest. I've repeatedly stated that it's weird we've not seen a single screenshot of the new in game graphics. That is the 'new' game's biggest feature, it's biggest selling point, and with weeks to go until release it was nowhere to be seen.

I was expecting another couple of weeks, maybe a month. But they've given  themselves another six months. That suggests the game is way off being good enough at the moment. On the one hand I understand the frustration of players. Pre-orders have been up a while now and they expect their game. But fair play to SI for delaying it to ensure the quality is there. Most studios these days, even the huge ones, would release it, spend millions on minimising the criticism in the media and improve it by updates. SI have no doubt taken a huge financial hit by doing this, so fair play to them for doing this. I'd much rather they did this than release an unfinished or low quality game and tried to defend it.

Six months though, let's talk about that. March is nowhere near the ideal release date for a new game. It's a few weeks from the end of the season in Europe and just a weird timeframe for a football game to come out. It also takes six months development time away from FM26, so I hope the promised feature returns for that aren't re-kicked down the road even further. Do they release FM26 in October/November as usual and hope people buy twice in six months? Or does this signal a new release cycle going forwards? Social media is full of shouts to kick FM25 altogether and I can understand that too.

I bet the management meetings have been fun at SI over the last few days prior to this decision being made.

[zakbrown96]

1 minute ago, Hummingbird Saltalamacchia said:

Does the mobile version also come out next March?

More news on other platforms will come in due course. 

[kiwityke1983]

8 minutes ago, forameuss said:

Everything's obvious in hindsight.  To be honest, I don't think I saw anyone saying that SI were waiting to "wow us".  I thought the screenshots chosen were odd, and fully expected that things would look a lot different on release.

I'm not saying it wasn't troubled before - it clearly was.  But I think creating this narrative that they've known for months that there was no chance of meeting November is just filling in a narrative that people are wanting to believe. It could be true of course, but all I'm saying is that things can change very quickly, and given what they were trying to do, with an already pressured team, it's probably more likely that they fully intended to meet the original date, until they suddenly realised there was no chance.  Then they fully intended November, did all their marketing, and then something really, really bad came up that meant they just couldn't release it.  This is about as close to the nuclear button that they could push that isn't not releasing at all.  If they were planning this all along, they wouldn't have voluntarily piled all that pressure on themselves just a week ago by giving another underwhelming update.

 

I've seen several people use variations of SI are waiting to wow us and or they are building hype by not revealing anything.

I noticed it because to me admittedly a total layman in terms of marketing, that is the absolute opposite of how you market a product. 

You maybe tease things that builds hype and then wow customers, you don't announce not once but twice things are being cut and here's some screenshots that people within minutes realised were mock ups to build hype.

You didn't need hindsight to see the game was in trouble, it has been very obvious for awhile. 

I genuinely thought they'd just release whatever in November, which probably 95% of game studios do these days then patch it.

So fair play for delaying a second time.

[Bahoi]

"Fm 24 is a swan song, you people must understand that they moved ship to fm 25 so they can really change the paradigm and provide the single most exquisite experience ever seen in a football simulation game with Unitiy taking the central stage" - absolutely everyone when there were voices dissatisfied with fm 24 being a minor update. Here, hope this delay clears is it for all of you. 

[Delicate Dave]

Having worked in the environment I would say 100% I back delay of releasing substandard products and I also fully support the staff and would always put their mental and family health over any bit of software.

It'll arrive when it arrives. I would suggest this thread is closed till March.

[andu1]

I hope they plan to release it early rather than late March..  An early march release would mean an early access around mid Feb... so around 4 months from now...

[davehanson]

3 minutes ago, renato. said:

I did the conversion directly from Steam, not from alternative sellers. Considering taxes it would cost even more than what I think, I guess.

Yes, but what I am saying is you can't legally even buy it in Brazil - so you would have to use a VPN and buy from a different country don't you?

[Rodrigogc]

I assume that there must be no need for a patch afterwards, given the game will be released in March. Releasing the game in March, most clubs will have their squads updated a few months after, so what will SI do ? 

To me it feels that this delay, although necessary, will create a massive compound effect on further delays. I hope FM26 will not be affected by it, but probably will, and so will the next versions. 

[SHK-555]

5 minutes ago, maxjam said:

What and absolute mess... Features removed, lacklustre roadmap, open pre-orders then postponed until the season is virtually over.

Releasing FM25 in March means we'll be getting FM26 a few months later - If SI are scrambling to get FM25 ready for a March release other than an updated database what new features should we expect in FM26?

At this point and talking purely from a gameplay perspective surely the sensible approach would be to cancel FM25, get the game actually ready for release and use the extra time to put back in the features that had been previously removed. 

Financially speaking, I personally think they will also take a loss releasing 2 games in 2026, would completely skipping FM25 be that much more of a hit?

Personally as its a new engine, I would release FM25 in March as a free beta, use the extra time to gather feedback, fix any issues and build hype for FM26.

The promotion was terrible, it was all cloak and daggers and when they announced they were removing features I couldn't really get excited, so glad they delayed, but not happy it's until March they really need to scrap it or like you say announce they are releasing at cut price or beta version to prepare for fm26

[jmlima]

6 minutes ago, mp_87 said:

... I think it is unrealistic that SI will write off even more money by not putting out 25 altogether, but this is going to require some careful thought - both in terms of customer relations, and the people building the game and not having a domino effect on impacting the development of the next edition.

...

As someone else points out, it is a reasonable assumption that they have commercial contracts requiring a release for this season. The fact that they pay for licences also means the idea of releasing 25 as a demo for 26 would probably verge on the ruinous.

Edited Thursday at 15:22 by jmlima

[nico_france]

I’m sure SI has listened to the fans, this delay should have been made in order to bring back international management 

 

[Dbuk1]

Surely we are all enjoying our fm24 saves anyway. This is good news ...believe me!!!

[Micho21]

[StevehFC]

Just now, Micho21 said:

Have a greenie for the Simpsons gif. 

[HighFlyingDwarf]

"You can call me the prediction daddy"

"

[StevehFC]

At least there’s a football manager having a worse season than ETH at Man United. 

[Novem9]

14 минут назад, zakbrown96 сказал:

Can we please stop calling for employees to lose jobs, it’s unacceptable none of us would like people saying that about us.

I didn't call for his dismissal. I asked if he is a co-owner of the company or reports to someone? I am interested in this case from the point of view of damage control. Since such a delay for a product with an annual edition can be critical in some companies/areas. If SI can do this without serious consequences, then good for them

[nusknvp]

Rest in peace Football Manager 🪦

2004-2017(ish)

[XV20]

Even UFL understands the pain 

[Gangor]

But will there be a data update for FM24 to reflect the new season?

[andu1]

Just now, Gangor said:

But will there be a data update for FM24 to reflect the new season?

There are fan made data updates available in the editor forum.

[Hummingbird Saltalamacchia]

11 minutes ago, zakbrown96 said:

More news on other platforms will come in due course. 

Cheers Zak 👍.

[Gehenna]

I never posted here, but felt like writing something in light of the delay. I'm disappointed... by the fans. I've seen some total freakouts on Reddit, Twitter, and elsewhere around the Internet. People accusing SI to be scammers, that they delayed the game but still accepted pre-orders to scam customers, that they are incompetent, that people should be fired, and other "kind" comments. I understand a significant delay can be pretty jarring and hard to accept, but there's no excuse to engage in this level of toxicity. I don't believe SI is out to mistreat its own fanbase, and I'd rather have them get FM25 right than deliver something unpolished (or even broken) just to appease people who expect a game delivered every November, like clockwork. 

[Junkhead]

Not surprised, but not that bothered. Had a suspicion this might happen and let's be honest, if they've made this decision for the first time in 20 odd years then it's probably the right one.

Had already made the decision to stick with FM24 anyway, so personally there is no impact, but I still hope FM25 is a success.

It is just a game though. As disappointing as this is, some of the comments on here and on X are insane 😂

[Ruh Roh]

i want to play the cursed fm

[Bahoi]

1 minute ago, Ruh Roh said:

i want to play the cursed fm

There is none. Nothing to play. 

[armbi]

It's not a problem that game is delayed, I'm sure it was planned, but ok, completely new engine bla bla... The problem is we don't have a single piece of experience of what we look forward.

[VautourDX]

Just now, Gehenna said:

I never posted here, but felt like writing something in light of the delay. I'm disappointed... by the fans. I've seen some total freakouts on Reddit, Twitter, and elsewhere around the Internet. People accusing SI to be scammers, that they delayed the game but still accepted pre-orders to scam customers, that they are incompetent, that people should be fired, and other "kind" comments. I understand a significant delay can be pretty jarring and hard to accept, but there's no excuse to engage in this level of toxicity. I don't believe SI is out to mistreat its own fanbase, and I'd rather have them get FM25 right than deliver something unpolished (or even broken) just to appease people who expect a game delivered every November, like clockwork. 

Criticising the abject failure of FM 25 is not "toxic", neither is criticising the head of the studio whose job it is to get a quality product out within advertised timescales. 

Criticising their decision to take preorders for a game that they knew was nowhere near being finished isn't toxic either. 

Miles has taken plenty of victory laps over the years when things have been going well. He's taken more than his fair share when the franchise stagnated. On that basis, he can take his fair share of criticism for this circus he created. 

[DMC-12]

This is CM4 all over again. And it was a shambles at launch. 

We've all known it wasn't anywhere near ready. The lack of any screenshots or footage was the giveaway, but this tells us that it really isn't even playable. 

[kopfan1977]

On 27/06/2024 at 15:45, xOGxTerror said:

You think FM25 will release in 2026? lol

[Fredrik]

At this stage it would be better to aim for FM 2+26 in August 2025 instead but I know why it won't happen. 

[fc.cadoni]

How someone to request for a re-fund when pre-order the game from here:

https://www.footballmanager.com/buy-fm25?game=fm25

Edited Thursday at 15:38 by fc.cadoni

[milenec11]

If I was Miles Jacobson ….

Two are the solutions 

A) you cancel the plans for new UI for 25 and release a FM 25 similar to FM 24 with better price 

OR 

B) I am canceling the plans for releasing a FM 25 and going directly to a new with FM 26 

what the point to release a game when the most of 24/25 leagues are gone 

postponed until June 25 and release your new era as FM 26 

do not make annoying things just to make something.

[b.sinisa]

After this news a lot of fans and youtube players are disappointed from SI as they should

[StevehFC]

11 minutes ago, Gangor said:

But will there be a data update for FM24 to reflect the new season?

Sent you a pm mate. 

[Rodrigogc]

 I feel sorry for the developers because I'm sure they've been putting a lot of energy in this game. It's all the result of bad and sloppy planning after all.

[jimbo22]

25 minutes ago, StevehFC said:

Anyone got a good database with the recent transfer updates for FM24?

You dont know about sortitoutsi? they update every day. 

[albertocerdeira.4]

hace 1 minuto, StevehFC dijo:

Sent you a pm mate. 

Pls send me too

[Gangor]

10 minutes ago, andu1 said:

There are fan made data updates available in the editor forum.

They are all very well, but it doesn't work perfectly. For instance, the dates are wrong

[ben carter]

Sucks. I'll be skipping 25 and jumping on 26. Hopefully the few months of FM25 feedback make 26 a much smoother roll-out. 

Switching up engines doesn't sound trivial so all the best to SI devs.