The devs for Football Manager have released information about the new improvements set to come into Football Manager 2024 and the new engine aimed to make the game even better in FM25. A host of new features are previewed including improvements to set pieces, build up and animations. Set to release on November 6th this year, FM24 will be releasing on PC, Xbox, Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass for PC. Later on, it will be released on PlayStation 5 for another consecutive season and FM24 Touch will return to the Nintendo Switch for a major Console audience to enjoy.
FM24
There is a refresh of Set Pieces and smarter transfers and finances. Hopefully, this means that my players who have a 30 million market value on low wages aren’t worth less than 5 million to Manchester City, and not everyone starts bidding 60 million on the Colombian wonder kid I found playing in the third tier of their domestic division.
The set piece overhaul was announced for FM24, and a more authentic and representative experience of set piece tinkering should give Manager’s more control. Most players never extensively experimented with set pieces but hopefully, this new improvement gives players a reason to do so, and smarter transfers make it so it doesn’t feel like the global financial footballing ecosystem is just tracing your scouting network. Importing set pieces and trying to grab and stash the best wonderkids shouldn’t be the first thing every player does as they load up a new save. With this change, I’m hoping for more variance in players’ decision-making and time spent working out the ins and outs of their squad building and coaching.
I am optimistic that there are more confirmed improvements to FM24, FM25 and beyond, but the fact that they’re addressing the engine and animations to modernise FM makes me ecstatic as a player. Most players never played Football Manager for the graphics, and it’s a more sophisticated simulator compared to the likes of FIFA. However, it is soon to be 2024 and playing a game that looks like an arcade sim from 2002 still doesn’t feel right for the success FM has had in its recent history.
SET PIECES REFRESH 😍
A brand-new flow gives you more control and customisation than ever before in #FM24 ⚙️
Find your winning edge at both ends of the pitch alongside your new Set Piece Coach #FM24Features
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) September 29, 2023
Transfer Careers
Have a save you haven’t finished in FM23? The new features allow players to transfer their careers over to FM24. This feature is also planned from FM24 to FM25 with their new engine, so it makes it worthwhile to buy consecutive years of Football Manager and try out older saves on new engines.
I think a feature that will be good because it encourages players who play on old versions of the game and are attached to their saves to keep buying the new FM. Some players can’t crank out continental glory in every continent challenge within the year that FM is out for, so spreading it out over 2 or 3 years of gameplay makes these lofty challenges both feasible and practical.
For both hardcore players or players who like to experiment with a save once a year, this feature gives players no guilt in trying out new things and being able to come back to it a year later if they are too busy to continue without feeling like they’re missing out on the game’s new features every year. This feature is one I didn’t know I wanted but I think I might revisit my Dinamo Zagreb save in FM24. We haven’t won the Champions League yet after all.
The J League
The Meiji Yasuda Insurance Ltd J1, J2 and J3 leagues will be added to FM24 with official logos, kits and player photos from the 2023 J League season added to the game. Japan is a powerhouse in Asian football and their import players have shone across the global stage. An example of recent talent coming out of the league would be Kaoru Mitoma and Takefusa Kubo who are familiar household names to football and FM fans with their performances for the Japanese National Team and for their domestic club teams.
The AFC Champions League is a continental competition that many FM players may not have gotten their hands on, and a road to glory in Asia can both build up a fun challenge and a way to foray into Asian football. After climbing to the top of the domestic ladder at the club level, manage the National team to replicate those famous wins against global powerhouses like Germany and Spain in the 2022 World Cup.
The J League is a new league for FM players to explore.
FM24 Mobile Coming to Netflix?
In one of the biggest and most unexpected collaborations with Football Manager, FM24 Mobile will be exclusively available to players who have a Netflix account. Launching on November 6th, existing Netflix users will be able to find FM24 through the Netflix mobile app. It’s an ambitious decision that hinges on FM24 Mobile enthusiasts having or creating Netflix accounts, and Netflix’s large audience being able to attract new users to the FM player base.
While no one will know how successful this collaboration will be until launch, it’s another avenue for FM to get into the mainstream. FM24 Mobile is a sophisticated sim for a Mobile game and the added eyes may be able to make it a big hit in certain countries, FM’s expansion into console and mobile gaming makes it feel like it has a long-term vision which makes me optimistic for its future.
Does anyone want an FM docuseries?
FM25
Project Dragonfly introduces the use of a new engine, Unity, for Football Manager 2025, FM25 Console and FM25 Touch. The Unity engine is one of the most famous in the gaming space with it powering major titles such as Genshin Impact and the Cities Skyline series. The Unity engine will update the graphical and UI capabilities of FM, likely making it more challenging to hit the minimum spec requirements for the game due to the additional and improved features of the new engine.
Another aspect that FM has struggled with is new gens, and the engine will give new technology for new gens and manager creation. Later into saves where the traditional household names have all retired and teams are filled with new gen players, the new gen players looked unrealistic and archaic for lack of a better term. Adding mods to give players faces was always an option. Still, for players who just want to download the game and play, this new engine hopefully gives a more representative experience of real-life immersion. If we could see more realistic player faces, it would personally help me attach to my new gen wonderkid.
The engine is also improving movement animations with a focus on ball physics and player locomotion. We’ve seen too many times when the animations on Football Manager look so unrealistic or weird which personally made me want to throw my PC outside my window. If the new engine can give a truer reflection of football player movement, it will help us appreciate when Neymar does a heel flick past 2 defenders, and it can also help us laugh at a great Harry Maguire moment. FM has needed an animation update for a long time so I’m glad it’s on the way for next year.
New animations, more powerful roles and better build-up for FM24 and beyond.
Women’s Football
Women’s Football has gained traction in the global sports sphere, with the major international and club competitions gaining a lot of following and presence as an emerging competition of high-level sports. FM25 will introduce women’s football and the devs announcing legal issues, and the new engine will hopefully iron out some of the problems in the additional game mode.
Key people from inside the women’s game will be collaborating so it will be exciting to see how the women’s game is integrated into the experience it deserves to be as polished as the men’s game so I’m hopeful for major domestic leagues and international competition.
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