Sports Interactive announced in 2021 that it would be adding women’s soccer to its popular simulation franchise, Football Manager. Now, the studio has revealed that this exciting addition will be introduced in the upcoming edition of the game, Football Manager 2025.
The decision to include women’s teams in Football Manager was not taken lightly by Sports Interactive. The studio wanted to ensure that the women’s game would receive the same level of depth and attention to detail as the men’s game. Football Manager is known for its vast database of players, each with their own individual statistics, biographies, and injury histories. Therefore, including women’s soccer meant making significant changes to the attribute systems, considering gender considerations for translations, and accounting for the different league rules in women’s football.
Miles Jacobson, the studio manager at Sports Interactive, explained that while progress has been made in areas such as research, the match engine, and translation, there are still legal issues and other areas that need further advancements. Jacobson emphasized that the women’s game deserves to be the best it can be before its release, and the studio is committed to achieving that goal.
In addition to the inclusion of women’s teams, Football Manager 2025 will also mark a fundamental shift for the series as Sports Interactive is transitioning to the Unity game engine. This shift will provide the game with more graphic power and improved user interface tools across all formats. Players can expect an entirely new user interface, a visually enhanced matchday experience, and significant improvements in animations. The transition to Unity on mobile devices may take a little longer to implement.
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The project to overhaul the underlying technology of Football Manager has been in progress for several years, with the initial plan to introduce the changes in Football Manager 2022. However, due to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sports Interactive had to reassess its priorities and focus on delivering a new version of the game each year.
Jacobson also acknowledged that Football Manager 2023 reached a milestone of over 5 million players, thanks in part to the introduction of versions for Apple Arcade and PS5. However, he recognized that some features of the game did not meet expectations. To address this, Sports Interactive has expanded its team and is committed to implementing the new features of Football Manager 2024 more efficiently, allowing more time for polishing and bug fixes.
One highly anticipated update is the ability for players to transfer their progress from Football Manager 2023 to Football Manager 2024, while still benefiting from the upgrades in the new edition. This feature has been requested by fans and will ensure a seamless transition between the two games. Despite moving to a new game engine in the following year, Sports Interactive plans to allow players to transfer their saves from Football Manager 2024 to Football Manager 2025 as well.
Jacobson specifically mentioned that this feature is especially crucial for players on platforms like Xbox Game Pass and Apple Arcade, as they would typically lose access to their career saves once the new game is released. Sports Interactive is working closely with platform holders to finalize the details, but the aim is to create a seamless experience for players, allowing them to continue their progress or start a new career without any interruptions.
In conclusion, the inclusion of women’s soccer in Football Manager 2025 is an exciting development for fans of the franchise. Sports Interactive has been working diligently to ensure that women’s soccer receives the same level of attention and detail as the men’s game. The transition to the Unity game engine will bring improved graphics and user interface tools, enhancing the overall experience for players. With the commitment to implementing new features and providing seamless progression between editions, Sports Interactive aims to deliver the best possible gaming experience for Football Manager enthusiasts.
