‘Too far away’ – Football Manager 25 organisers post lengthy apology to explain why they had to scrap game

The makers of popular video game Football Manager 25 have cancelled its release.

It comes after multiple delays to its intended release date with its most recent deferral meaning the release was set to happen mid-season.

The delay would have seen the game’s makers have to sell two editions in the same calendar year with FM26 set for release in late 2025.

Fans had been speculating over its revised release date despite being left in limbo but now its developer has posted the news no fan wanted to read.

In a social media post, Sports Interactive revealed it has made the 'difficult decision' to cancel the 2025 update as it was ‘too far away from the standards you deserve’.

Sport Interactive went on to apologise for the cancellation and have confirmed that anybody who had pre-ordered the game would be automatically refunded.

A statement read: "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

On a brighter note, it said that focus would now turn to the 2026 version of the game in what is likely to be a blockbuster release for fans starved of their favourite footy fix.

Sports Interactive had planned to update fans in January 2025 on a new release date, however the deadline was missed due to compliance with its publisher Sega, being a publicly traded company.

"We can only apologise for the time it has taken to communicate this decision,” the statement continued. “Due to stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, today was the earliest date that we could issue this statement.

"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.

"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."

Football Manager has gained worldwide popularity amongst gamers after first launching in 2004.

The game allows fans to experience the role of managing a football club of their choosing where they will decide tactics, navigate through the transfer market, brush with fans and the media, whilst mastering the matchday experience.