Football Manager 25 cancelled as followers name it ‘greatest mess in gaming historical past’

On Feb 7, 2025

The team behind the popular football gaming series Football Manager has announced that the upcoming version, FM25, has been cancelled, in a move most fans had predicted would happen months ago

07:28, 07 Feb 2025Updated 07:41, 07 Feb 2025

The game has been cancelled(Image: SEGA)

The latest edition of the Football Manager series, FM25, has been cancelled. After a series of cancellations and awkward silences from makers Sports Interactive and Sega, an announcement was made at 3am this morning to confirm what most fans of the series had already predicted.

It was announced in October that it was being delayed by a few weeks until November 26 due to issues with creating the game using a brand new system – but that was then delayed a further five months.

And now in a move most had predicted, the game has been cancelled entirely, with developers claiming that they want to focus on whatever comes next, presumably Football Manager 26.

Football Manager boss Miles Jacobson has been quiet since the game was delayed in November(Image: FIFA via Getty Images)

Fans who pre-ordered the game have been offered a full refund, but no comment was made on whether or not they would update the current game version’s database – something SI had previously ruled out.

In a lengthy statement, a spokesman said: “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 lengthy statement went live at around 3am(Image: SEGA)

“We know this will come as a huge disappointment, especially given that the release date has already moved twice, and you have been eagerly anticipating the first gameplay reveal. We can only apologise for the time it has taken to communicate this decision. Due to stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, today was the earliest date that we could issue this statement.

“We have always prided ourselves on delivering the best value for money games that bring you countless hours of enjoyment, that feel worth every moment and every penny you spend. With the launch of FM25 we set out to create the biggest technical and visual advancement in the series for a generation, laying the building blocks for a new era.

A rare glimpse of the now-cancelled game was leaked earlier this year(Image: SEGA)

“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.”

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They went on to claim that after “extensive evaluation” they are “too far away from the standards you deserve” and did not want to release the game in its current state.

Fans took to social media to fume about the decision, with one calling it the “worst mess in gaming history,” while FM streamer and YouTuber Zealand simply replied with “lol”.

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