The 20-Year Journey to Revolutionize Football Manager

Unlike most annual releases, Football Manager isn't rebuilt from scratch every year. Instead, it evolves through various enhancements and additions, ensuring the game stays fresh while remaining true to its roots. However, this approach is about to change. With Football Manager 2024 set to release in November, the developer has announced a major overhaul, including a switch to a new engine for Football Manager 2025, which studio director Miles Jacobson describes as the 'first true sequel' in the series. This transformation offers a unique opportunity for the team to reassess every aspect of the game and ask, 'Would we do it the same way if we were starting from scratch?' The studio is working on both titles simultaneously, thanks to its significant growth, allowing for a new approach to game development. Jacobson notes that the team has been hinting at this change for some time, with subtle clues in the branding and promotion of previous titles, such as the introduction of rips in the logo and taglines like 'Tear up the script.' Although Jacobson can't reveal specifics, he emphasizes that Football Manager 2025 is being built from the ground up, leveraging two decades of experience and data on player behavior to create a more efficient and user-friendly interface. The shift to Unity marks a significant change, as the series has previously used the studio's proprietary technology. Jacobson is pleased with the progress, particularly with the game's visuals and 3D match engine. The move to Unity will also lead to changes in system specifications, requiring slightly more modern PC hardware. The studio is working closely with the engine provider to develop necessary tools and expects this partnership to contribute to overall engine improvements. Jacobson believes that while many studios are shifting to commercial engines like Unity or Unreal, proprietary engines will still have a place in the industry, particularly for teams with the resources and desire for complete control. Sports Interactive has undergone significant changes, growing from around 100 employees to nearly 290, and has implemented a new management structure. This growth has enabled the studio to work on both FM24 and FM25 simultaneously, with a more organized approach to development. As a result, design meetings for FM24 are already finalized, and the focus has shifted to FM25. The studio's expansion has been driven in part by the game's significant growth, with player numbers increasing from two million to over five million in the past year. This surge in popularity has been attributed to the game's availability on platforms like Game Pass, Apple Arcade, and PlayStation. While this growth doesn't directly impact the design process, it provides the studio with a better understanding of how a larger player base interacts with the game, allowing for more informed decisions on feature development. With 20 years of experience feeding into the new vision for Football Manager, Jacobson expects the studio to spend the next few decades honing this new direction, but acknowledges that the need for another true sequel will depend on the future needs of the series.