With the cancellation of FM25, all the pressure was on Sports Interactive to deliver a perfect game after a two-year wait since the previous instalment.
However, to call FM26 a disappointment would be an understatement not only alienating the franchises’ hardcore player base but also new players to the game.
But whilst there has been significant improvements in certain areas it appears to be one step forward and three back for the game.
Here at the Sporting Loft we evaluate the FM26 experience so far and judge if the game has been a failure for Sports Interactive.
Lengthy production time
After FM25 was cancelled in February 2025, the production team behind the game had an extra nine months to prepare FM26 for release after already spending nearly two years of production on FM25.
It was clear that FM24 was meant to be a polished version of the game on the previous game engine but a huge overall and improvement was promised for the next instalment.
The change to the Unity engine has clearly caused huge issues behind the scenes and it is quite apparent the team underestimated the challenge.
But after having nearly three years developing this game, it is simply unfinished and has damaged the relationship between company and player.
Falling player numbers
Football Manager on steam typically sits around 70,000 active players during the year of release with a drop-off before the next edition’s introduction.
The success of Fm24 at retaining its player base was evidenced in the fact the concurrent number of active players barely dropped despite the game entering its unprecedented second year.
Yet as things stand, the steam player count is set to drop into the 40,000 range which is an incredible drop off from usual standards.
Those who bought every year on PC and would sink thousands of hours into the game are turning away in droves – and a recovery doesn’t seem likely.
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UI Disaster
The most common complaint amongst players is the huge overhaul of the user interface that many felt was completely unnecessary.
Removing the under utilised features and spam within the game is understandable but a complete reversion from the traditional menu screens has turned players away.
Players have described the playing experience as ‘tedious’ and ‘a complete mess’ with menus hidden in other menus that simply don’t help the player.
Studio lead Miles Jacobson had highlighted issues with the FM25 build claiming he “couldn’t find his youth team” during his playthrough and clearly some of these issues have remained in the current build of FM26.
Small positives
Not every part of the game has been a complete disaster as we have small positives to take into the future of the franchise.
The match engine is certainly a huge upgrade to the game and will serve the game well in the long term both on PC and console.
The addition of women’s leagues and extra men’s leagues provide even more variety for the type of saves players can play and footballers they can sign.
It is not an unsavable position that Sports Interactive find themselves in, however, the communication with the player base has to improve and feedback must be considered.
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