Football Manager 2009 to release on Steam

Sports Interactive's blockbuster football sim will also support auto updating via Steamworks.

SEGA and Sports Interactive have announced that Football Manager 2009 is heading to Steam and that the download service will also host a demo a few weeks prior to the game's release. Football fans can pre-purchase the game now, with access to play being given on November 14 at 9am GMT.

"Many of us at Sports Interactive have been big fans of Steam since it's inception, so to be working with them properly this year across releases of Football Manager on the PC is fantastic" said Miles Jacobson, studio director at Sports Interactive. "It gives us the opportunity for all of our games players to get any patches or updates that we make available quickly and easily, as well as a place for us to host any other downloads, such as demos and promotional videos, with super fast broadband speeds for download, and no issues with bandwidth, which we are hit with each time we release a demo".

"The Football Manager 2009 team has an incredible plan to extend the product beyond launch and achieve a level of connectivity with FM 2009 players that surpasses any prior release in the category," said Gabe Newell, president of Valve. "We're delighted to have Steamworks selected as the vehicle to help take this legendary franchise to the next level and look forward to offering the game to the millions logging onto Steam each week."

For more on Football Manager 2009 check out our recent interview with Sports Interactive's Miles Jacobson.