FM25 RELEASE DATE

Football Manager 2025 Release Date

Sports Interactive, the developer behind the acclaimed Football Manager series, has announced significant changes to the release plans for Football Manager 2025. Initially, the game was expected to follow the traditional November release schedule, as seen in the previous 11 editions. However, in September, the company announced the first delay, pushing the release date to November 26, 2024. This decision was made to allow more time for development and to ensure the game met the high standards fans have come to expect.

Just a month later, in October, Sports Interactive faced further challenges and was forced to reassess the timeline once again. The company revealed that Football Manager 2025 would no longer be released in November, marking a departure from the series’ long-standing tradition. Instead, the new release date was anticipated to be March 2025. This second delay was attributed to the team’s ambitious goals of delivering the biggest technical and visual advancement in the series in a generation, as well as unforeseen development hurdles.

In the February 6 official statement, Sports Interactive provided more context for these delays. The developer explained that while many areas of the game had met their targets, the overall player experience and interface were not yet at the desired level. Extensive consumer playtesting had validated the new direction of the game, but it became clear that more time was needed to refine the product. The company emphasized that they could have released the game in its current state and addressed issues post-launch, but they felt this would not be fair to their loyal fanbase. Additionally, extending the release beyond March was not considered viable, as it would be too late in the football season to expect players to purchase another game later in the year.

The decision to delay the game was also influenced by compliance with stakeholder requirements, including legal and financial regulations, which delayed the official announcement. Sports Interactive expressed deep regret for the disappointment this would cause, especially given the already shifted release dates and the anticipation surrounding the first gameplay reveal, which was scheduled for the end of January 2025.

Football Manager 2025 was set to launch on multiple platforms, including Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, iPad, iOS, Android, macOS, Apple Arcade, and Nintendo Switch. However, with the cancellation of the March release, the company has shifted its focus entirely to ensuring the next iteration of the game meets its ambitious goals. Sports Interactive has promised to keep fans updated on the progress of development and reaffirmed its commitment to delivering a product that lives up to the high expectations of the Football Manager community.