Football Manager 2021 statement sparks speculation over console release

A new Sports Interactive statement regarding Football Manager 2021 has sparked speculation that the game will be coming to next-gen consoles, as well as confirming that it will be released in late 2020. 

As far as football video games go, few have reached the levels of the Football Manager series. Aside from EA Sports’ FIFA, the FM series has captivated fans with its ultra-realistic manangement simulation.

On July 30, Sports Interactive released a lengthy statement regarding Football Manager 2021. Amongst other things, SI confirmed that the game is still set to release in late 2020, as has become the standard for the series.

However, fans of the series focused on one particular section of the statement, which may have hinted at FM being playable on more consoles than it currently is.

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“They will be delivered a little later than we’d originally planned, but they’ll have exceptionally strong feature sets,” the statement says. “Our games will be on more platforms and available on more stores than ever before when they’re released later this year but, with regards to features and release dates, it’s a little too early for us to talk about the specifics right now.”

As the statement hints at new “platforms” and “stores,” speculation has run rife. One Twitter user even said that “FIFA is finished” if what is being hinted at is true.

Unfortunately, Miles Jacobson, the head of Sports Interactive, stated that fans will need patience given the slightly delayed timescale everything is on this year.

With real world football leagues still not fully wrapped up, it would have been difficult to imagine a scenario in which the game was not delayed.

“Beyond the statement today, nothing else will be confirmed or otherwise until later in the year,” he said. “Patience is required this year.”

Currently, Football Manager is available on PC via Steam, with its Touch version also available on iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch.

Sports Interactive have in the past commented on their reluctance to move FM over to consoles, but past iterations did indeed release on previous generation consoles, like the Xbox 360. Whether they believe they are now ready to make the leap to PlayStation and Xbox remains to be seen, but don’t expect confirmation any time soon.