Why Was Football Manager 25 Canceled?

Delays in the gaming world are becoming more and more common. After all, it’s becoming pretty difficult to appease the masses and deliver a game that stands out in an oversaturated market. Sports Interactive had to go back to the drawing board with Football Manager 2025, delaying it from November 2024 to March 2025. However, before that new release date arrived, the developer announced that the game would not be moving forward.

“Sports Interactive regret to inform that, following extensive internal discussion and careful consideration with SEGA, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 and shift our focus to the next release,” a statement from the developer read. “For the large numbers of you who pre-ordered FM25, we thank you enormously for your trust and support – we’re very sorry to have let you down.”

Of course, words only mean so much, and players, especially those who pre-ordered the game, deserve answers. Thankfully, Sports Interactive didn’t leave its customers hanging, explaining exactly why Football Manager 25 got canceled.

“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,” the statement continued. “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.”

The question on everyone’s mind then becomes, “Why didn’t Sports Interactive just delay the game again?” Well, there’s logic behind it, and a lot of football fans are sure to agree with it.

“We could have pressed on, released FM25 in its current state, and fixed things down the line – but that’s not the right thing to do,” Sports Interactive explained. “We were also unwilling to go beyond a March release as it would be too late in the football season to expect players to then buy another game later in the year.”

How To Get a Refund for Football Manager 25

For those who secured their copy of a game early, refunds are on the table. Sports Interactive explains in a FAQ that people will get their money back automatically if the game was purchased through an official SEGA-approved retailer. Other retailers will process refunds at their own pace.

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What Does Football Manager 25 Getting Canceled Mean for Football Manager 26?

Despite canceling the latest edition of the game, Sports Interactive is still looking into building a strong future for the Football Manager franchise. “Through the cancellation, every effort is now focused on ensuring that our next release achieves our goal and hits the quality level we all expect,” the developer explained. “We will update you on how we are progressing with that as soon as we are able to do so.”

And that’s why Football Manager 25 was canceled.