Football Manager 25 questions answered: Pre-order refunds? FM24 update? Why cancel it now?

Football Manager 25 has sadly been cancelled by studio Sports Interactive and fans are wondering what this means for them going forward.

On February 7, the studio confirmed the game will not release and all efforts will now be put into developing and releasing Football Manager 26 on time.

A statement from Sports Interactive said: "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.

"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."

But what does this all mean for players?

Football Manager 25 has been cancelled by Sports Interactive / Image from Sports Interactive

Is Football Manager 25 cancelled on all platforms?

Yes, all versions are cancelled and it will not be released anywhere.

Can I get a refund if I pre-ordered Football Manager 25?

Sports Interactive confirmed all pre-orders will automatically be refunded in full if the game was purchased through an official SEGA approved retailer. Retailers will process refunds and those with any questions about this are urged to contact their point of purchase.

Why wasn't Football Manager 25 cancelled earlier?

Sports Interactive said: "At the time of the decision [to delay instead of cancel], based on the data available, it was our strong belief that we could reach our quality target level and deliver a game our players would be happy with, despite the delay.

"The challenges encountered beyond this point meant we were unable to achieve that."

Will Football Manager 2024 be updated with the latest squads?

The studio confirmed this will not happen. It said when the game was delayed in October that "this is a substantial undertaking and would divert critical resources away from the development of the next release which requires our full focus".

Can I still play Football Manager 2024?

Those that bought the game outright will still be able to play Football Manager 2024 but those who play the game on a subscription model, such as FM24 Mobile through Netflix, will have to wait and see at present.

Sports Interactive added: "We are currently in discussions with our various platform partners and licensors and hope to extend our FM24 agreements. We will provide an update on this in due course."

Elsewhere in the gaming world, GTA 6's release date was updated by Rockstar's parent company Take-Two and a patent has all but confirmed an expected feature on the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Cons.

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