Bad news for fans of arguably one of the most addictive video games of all time: it appears that the latest iteration of the hugely popular Football Manager series is on hold and may not be ready for users until next March, a wait that will no doubt leave fans itching like crazy to get back into the game.
The makers of the game, Sports Interactive, have explained the decision as one that is down to the need to put out the best product possible. Whilst SI should be applauded for this level of honesty, it won’t assuage the feelings of loss and heartbreak that many millions will be feeling.
This is the first time in twenty years that the game has not been released on time, and the fact that the game will be released so late in the day, just a couple of months before the end of the 2024/25 European league seasons, is something of a disaster.
Football fans who can’t get enough of the game may want to consider alternative means of entertainment, such as placing a wager on their favorite teams. With that in mind, here are some pointers when it comes to the betting apps worthy of your attention: those which offer the best possible payout for your bets.
The Football Manager series of games remains incredibly successful. It started life in 1992 as Championship Manager, and in 2004, it moved from Eidos Interactive to SEGA.
On the 6th of November 2023, Football Manager 2024 was born and had seven million players by February 2024, making it the most-played title in the history of the game.
Explaining their decision, SI released a statement on the matter,
“In our last Development Update in September, we explained that we needed to push FM25’s original release back to give ourselves more time to deliver the best possible experience for this first instalment in a new era of Football Manager,”
“This additional time has not been sufficient to ensure the game quality and experience meets your expectations and our very high standards.”
“Timelines were already tight and, as rightly pointed out by many of your recent comments, we were simply rushing too much and in danger of compromising our usual standards. This has put an enormous amount of pressure on everyone working across the studio, who are all passionately committed to delivering the best game possible.”
“We are intensely aware that this will be massively disappointing for you. We share that disappointment and are extremely sorry. Thank you for reading and your patience. It means the world to us as we continue to work on creating a new era for Football Manager.”Sports Interactive added.
FM25 will be the first in the series to cover Women’s Football, offering a whole new angle to the iconic game series. Given the delay of Football Manager 2025, there are now concerns about how this might impact future releases, as previously, these had always been released to coincide with the start of the football season in Europe.