Football Manager 25 has been cancelled after months of delays

Fans have finally been given a major update on the future of Football Manager 25 - and it will no doubt be a disappointing one for many, after months of pushback.

In September, it was announced the release of the game would be pushed back from 26 November, after developers faced a number of engineering challenges that would then continue for months.

But just two weeks later, the news came it was delayed again - this time by four months to March.

"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", Sports Interactive said at the time.

"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.

"This is not where any of us expected to be seven weeks out from our release but, in the spirit of our studio values, we always consider the bigger picture - and the bigger picture here is that we need this additional time to deliver a game that we can all be proud of."

The company then promised a gameplay reveal would come by the end of January - but there was still silence.

SEGA

And now, on 7 February, fans have finally been put out of their misery, with an announcement that FM25 would be scrapped entirely, so that the company can focus on FM26.

Had they have carried on with Football Manager 25, two games would've been released in the same year.

"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," a statement from Sports Interactive reads.

"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."

The company claims that "stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations" was the reason it had taken so long to communicate the cancellation to those who had purchased the game.

"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 statement continues.

"Whilst many areas of the game have hit our targets, the overarching player experience and interface is not where we need it to be. As extensive evaluation has demonstrated, including consumer playtesting, we have clear validation for the new direction of the game and are getting close – however, we're too far away from the standards you deserve.

"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. 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.

"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. We will update you on how we are progressing with that as soon as we are able to do so.

"Thank you for reading, your patience and your continued support. Our full focus now returns to creating a new era for Football Manager."

It would appear that fans aren't happy about the news either.

"The amount of money they have just lost by cancelling this game it’s crazy. Heads are gonna be rolling I’d expect resignations and possibly sackings from this", one person wrote.

Another added: "Should have happened ages ago tbh, feels like the fanbase has been let down, and taken for a ride. Huge pressure on FM26 Now!"

One more wrote: "Although this is the right decision if the games not going to be up to scratch, I’m shocked that there won’t be a data update provided.

"Would have really helped soften the blow & pick up a little win from this PR disaster."

Another suggested: "Put FM24 on sale as a goodwill gesture

"Make FM26 the best one ever. We will be waiting."

Anyone who has pre-ordered Football Manager 25 will automatically be refunded.

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