Sports Interactive regret to inform that, following extensive internal discussion and careful consideration with SEGA, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Football Manager 25 and shift our focus to the next release. 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. Please see the FAQs below on obtaining your refund. 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. We can only apologize for the time it has taken to communicate this decision. Due to stakeholder compliance, including legal and financial regulations, today was the earliest date that we could issue this statement.

Development Update: Football Manager 25
We have always prided ourselves on delivering the best value for money games that bring you countless hours of enjoyment, that feel worth every moment and every penny you spend. With the launch of FM25 we set out to create the biggest technical and visual advancement in the series for a generation, laying the building blocks for a new era. Due to a variety of challenges that we've been open about to date, and many more unforeseen, we currently haven't achieved what we set out to do in enough areas of the game, despite the phenomenal efforts of our team. Each decision to delay the release was made with the aim of getting the game closer to the desired level but, 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.

Jump into the managerial hotseat this weekend with Football Manager 2023 now available to play for free. PC and Mac users will be able to try out FM23 on Steam completely free until 13:00 EST / 18:00pm BST on Monday, June 26th. Xbox Live Gold subscribers can access FM23 Console at no cost before 9:00am BST on June 26th. To continue your journey to footballing glory after the free play period, take advantage of both titles being available at 50% off until mid-July.

Football Manager 2023 provides you with the closest thing to being a real manager, delivering unmatched levels of detail and drama as you write your own headlines and dominate the competition. If you already have a Steam account, getting access to FM23 is straightforward. On Steam, head to the Football Manager 2023 page. Instead of there being a button labelled "Add to Cart," the game will be marked as "Free to Play" and the button will read 'Play Game'. Clicking "Play Game" will add FM23 to your library and it will remain playable until the free access period ends.