Football Manager bosses have released a lengthy blog post addressing the disastrous launch of Football Manager 26.
Since 2005, a new Football Manager game has launched every year, However last year’s Football Manager 25 was ultimately cancelled after several delays. Football Manager 26 was eventually released last week and was meant to usher in a “new era” of the sport simulator series.
However, long-term fans and newcomers to the franchise criticised the “unbelievably bad” Football Manager 26. The game has a “mostly negative” review score on Steam, with players unhappy with the reworked user interface, dodgy performance and various bugs that still haven’t been fixed.
Despite this, a “record” 2.5million people have played Football Manager 26. “We are incredibly grateful for your support – especially considering the challenges some players have been dealing with, which we take very seriously,” wrote community manager Jimmy Wong on the Sports Interactive forums. “We fully understand the current situation – the game isn’t currently reflecting our usual polish level, despite addressing a significant number of issues already, including stability improvements, fixing errors and important polish. Addressing your concerns remains our top priority.”
Sharing our planned approach for FM26 Updates
Full details below
https://t.co/t3yPsCxD2D pic.twitter.com/7LTddIznwl
— FM Assist (@FM_Assist) November 12, 2025
The statement blamed the game’s poor launch on a series of updates that were implemented following the beta test, meaning Sports Interactive didn’t have time to finish the necessary Day One update. “That decision is one of a number that has impacted our review scores, and we accept that.” Developers then promised imminent fixes for game crashes and lag during matches while future updates will address stability and performance as well as quality of life and polish.
“FM26 is the start of a new era for the series. Whilst it’s natural to draw comparisons with previous titles, the initial groundwork laid thus far is fundamental to enabling the series to expand and flourish beyond this cycle,” he explained. “At the heart of our future vision is the UI which is undoubtedly the most prominently discussed topic. We are actively listening to all feedback and recognise that there are many adjustments that need to be made.”
This is the most open and honest they have been so far. Only took 2 years but finally holding there hands up https://t.co/NGG8nk0sTc
— Coach Callum (@CoachCal95) November 12, 2025
However fans are still worried about the future of the game. “Main issue with that statement is the reference to ‘immersion’. If they wanted it to be as immersive as possible, then why strip out so many immersive features from FM 2024? Sounds like I’m going to be waiting about a year before the game is finished,” wrote one fan on Reddit.
“Pass maps under consideration? The fact it’s under consideration is concerning as I would have thought that it would be nailed on for the future,” added another. “The fact they think the underlying issue is just that they didn’t ‘polish’ the game enough really underscores just how fucked the series really is,” said a third.
In other news, Half-Life fans are convinced the much-rumoured Half-Life 3 could finally be unveiled this month after years of speculation.
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