Football Manager 2025’s huge delay isn’t actually an issue, and YOU prove why

Everyone has been rightfully panicking about the huge delay of Football Manager 2025, and the lack of communication from Sports Interactive hasn’t helped. Sports Interactive promised us news in January, yet they’ve been as silent as Erling Haaland after telling Arsenal to be humble (or as quiet as Arsenal fans after their humbling last night).

Content creators—including myself—have been in uproar over the shambles. And when the outrage is this loud, it’s easy to start wondering: Is this the beginning of the end for Football Manager?

Now, I’m not trying to be alarmist, but I’ve had plenty of messages asking if the franchise is doomed. When you’re surrounded by all the noise and negativity, it’s easy to get sucked in. But after a bit of digging, I’m not sure the panic is entirely warranted and, it turns out, you’re the reason why.

Is Football Manager in Trouble? The Numbers Say… Maybe Not

Of course, we should absolutely keep the pressure on Sports Interactive to communicate better. But the player numbers tell a more reassuring story. While fans are obviously upset at the lack of a new game, there’s still a tonne of players enjoying FM24. It’s not all doom and gloom.

I checked Steamcharts.com to see how many people are still playing Football Manager 2024. Honestly, I was expecting a massive dip. Surely, people would have gotten bored of a game that’s been out for 15 months? Surely, the delays and lack of news would have driven people to something else?

But no. The player count has remained remarkably steady. Sure, there are peaks and troughs, but we’re nowhere near the kind of mass exodus you see when a game completely loses its player base. The amount of people playing this January is higher than it was in March and April last year!

For comparison, look at The First Descendant. Now that is what it looks like when players abandon a game. Despite constant updates with new characters, weapons and content, player numbers fell off a cliff losing over 200,000 players on Steam alone.

Always trust the data

As Football Manager diehards, it’s easy to get trapped inside an echochamber of doom. The same as any community: it’s biggest fans are also its biggest haters, and the issue of waiting so long for FM25 has only made this worse. However, as FM fans always say after spending hours trolling through star ratings and hidden attributes, data doesn’t lie, and the proof is in the pudding that FM is in a great place right now.

1) Football Manager has built up an insane amount of goodwill.
Even when things look rough, players aren’t ditching the game at the first sign of trouble. If we didn’t have years of proof that Sports Interactive can deliver, more people would have already jumped ship. Of course, goodwill isn’t infinite—it won’t last forever—but for now, it’s keeping the franchise afloat.

2) We’re all hopelessly addicted.
Even if this is the beginning of the end, we’re basically the musicians on the Titanic. The ship might be sinking, but we’ll keep playing until the bitter end.

I also spoke to Dave Azzopardi, a popular Football Manager streamer and content creator, to get his take on why fans are sticking around despite the uncertainty and, honestly, he’s spot on. He told me:

“There’s no other game quite like Football Manager. There’s so much flexibility in how you play, and with such a huge amount of data, no other management series comes close. Despite players eagerly waiting for a new edition, FM24 still has enough tools to provide fresh, new experiences every save.”

Why This Is (Mostly) A Good Thing

Now, let’s acknowledge the potential downside. If Sports Interactive sees that players are sticking around no matter what, they could become complacent. If they think, “People will play regardless,” then where’s the incentive to fix things and communicate better?

But here’s why I still think it’s a positive sign: if player numbers were plummeting, it would put Football Manager in serious trouble. The stability gives Sports Interactive time to get things right. If this is just a one-off rough year and everything is back to normal in 2026, the franchise will be fine. In a way, the loyalty of the player base is a get out of jail free card for them.

That said, the real issue is their lack of communication. If they just took the time to properly explain the situation, I think the majority of the fanbase would understand. The numbers prove that people are willing to be patient—they just don’t want to be left in the dark.

Of course, while the lack of a new game right now isn’t an issue for us, it may be an issue for Sports Interactive. After all, this is a studio built off annual releases that doesn’t currently have one. While we’re still happy with the previous game, SI may be hurting. Maybe keep that in mind before shouting online.

Final Thoughts

So, are we at disaster point? Not yet. And fingers crossed, I don’t look like an idiot for saying that in a few months. But what do you think? Is the stable player base a sign of strength or a warning sign of complacency? Let me know in the comments!