The series “Football Manager” (Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X) has long been the game for football nerds. Every day, over 45,000 people play the simulation on Steam alone, which has been running since 2004. For Football Manager 2024, a special feature is being introduced: players will be able to continue their old save for the first time.
How big is Football Manager?
- The game is huge, especially in the UK: it has an average of 45,000 players on Steam every day. Even in Germany, many will now play it: the 3 local alternatives, Bundesliga Manager (discontinued in 2001), Anstoss (ended in 2006), and FIFA Manager (discontinued in 2011) no longer matter.
- The special thing is mainly the consistency with which Football Manager is played: player numbers remain constant throughout the season. Players spend extremely many hours on the deep football simulation.
- But: there is also criticism. As with EA’s sports games, it is said: actually, it’s almost the same game every year, you pay full price just for minimal updates and the new squads.
This feature is set to come: With the next game, Football Manager 2024, it will be possible to transfer your save from the old Football Manager to the new one and continue playing.
Anyone who opens Football Manager 2024 will have the option to continue exactly where they left off last year.
The developers say: This is how it will continue, even in FM 2025 you will be able to continue your save from 24 (via footballmanager).
Why is this happening only now? The developers don’t state this clearly, but they hint that the decision is related to the fact that Football Manager is moving to the Game Pass with version FM24.
Players on the Game Pass would otherwise lose their careers shortly after the new game is released. Because then, the “old Football Manager” disappears from the platform. This is unavoidable due to the expiration of the license. Agreements force the developers to remove the game from the platform when the license has expired.
Football Manager 24 is supposed to be “the last of its kind”
This is the plan for the future: In any case, a lot has been planned for Football Manager 2024 now. It is supposed to be “the last game of its kind” and the most complete Football Manager ever made.
With the game, they want to “end a chapter.”
Football Manager 25, which will be released in 2024, is supposed to bring a real revolution and attract new players to the series. A new engine is announced for this.
But first, Football Manager 24 is supposed to come, which is supposed to look like the known parts, just complete and with the possibility to continue the old save.
When is it coming? The release of Football Manager 24 is expected in November 2023.
Is there a German alternative? The superbrain of German football simulations, Gerald Köhler, released the game “We are Football” in July 2021. It has 75% positive ratings on Steam, but according to Steamcharts, only about 110 players on average.
Ultimately, the battle for “Germany needs its own football simulation” was probably lost against England 10 to 15 years ago. And then the English kicked us out of the European Championship in 2021. Damn.
