Football Manager fans are in for a treat as the latest instalment in the franchise has just been released into early access. The game’s early access beta was originally planned to drop about two weeks prior to the full launch date, which would have landed on October 25. But Sports Interactive surprised fans with an even earlier release of this brand-new title.
Sports Interactive, the British leader of football management simulations, confirmed yesterday the beta version was available on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Microsoft Store support is expected to follow suit shortly. Thus, fans who pre-ordered the game from an approved retailer can jump right in on the action.
Traditionally, an early access beta gets released ahead of the worldwide launch for developers to correct any in-game issues, bugs, or glitches through players’ actual feedback. While early access is still controversial amongst gamers due to a number of disappointing projects, entries like Iron Gate’s Valheim have received an overwhelmingly positive response.
In the case of Football Manager, gamers up to an early start will be able to carry over any career kicked off in the beta version into the full game. The only downside is, console gamers have to be a tad more patient, as only PC and Mac users may benefit from FM’s beta version.
PS5 gamers shall wait until November 8 to enjoy the first-ever PlayStation port for the series. The game will simultaneously hit Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and Android devices. A staple of football video games, Football Manager was long a PC-exclusive series. Therefore, gamers across the board are gearing up for an exciting plunge into the intricacies of a game so popular it changed the football industry.
The franchise kicked off in 1992 under the name Championship Manager. But Football Manager would take a few more decades to grow into a gaming giant. Millions of players log in each year to take their chosen club to the top of their league. Some football superstars have even shown their love for the game, from FC Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembélé to former Man U manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Either picking an existing club or creating a fictitious squad from scratch, players are responsible for managing every facet of their club. From attending press conferences to giving motivational team talks and developing the club’s facilities, this football sim involves a never-ending stream of missions on and off the pitch.
But at the end of the day, such an astonishing success comes down to the series’ unparalleled scouting system. Over the years, Football Manager actively changed the game. Several professional clubs started tapping into the FM database to hone off their recruitment, making the most of Football Manager’s wide-reaching network of 1,500 worldwide scouts spanning around 2,200 clubs in over 50 countries. Meanwhile, stories of avid FM players turning into real-life scouts and managers became commonplace.
Football Manager has proven an equally invaluable resource to punters. While FM is often compared to FIFA and PES, no other game comes close to its level of detail. From club info to player knowledge, Football Manager is a perfect tool for bettors to leverage and maximise their earnings. Getting ahead of the curve, punters may even wager on budding talents on top football betting sites. The best online bookies cover virtually any league across the globe. Such platforms also boast a stash of betting markets to explore, extending beyond mere match result predictions. And free reviews are a click away for newcomers to find the sportsbook that ticks all the right boxes before going all-in on the Premier League or the Champions League.
Incidentally, the Champions League is officially coming to Football Manager this year following a licensing deal with UEFA. While all UEFA competitions already existed in-game, official anthems and trophies have taken realism up a notch.
FM fans may discover additional features, such as a revamped recruitment system and improved match AI. Supporters are playing a more active part, all the same. Football Manager 2023 comes with a visualisation of a club’s Supporter Profile that includes six types of fans, from casual to hardcore. Social media reactions will also come into play.
And console gamers only have a couple of weeks longer to wait before getting their hands on that much-anticipated PS5 port.