Inside Miles Jacobson’s candid admission, the failed Unity gamble, and how
SI are rebuilding trust with FM26
The Year Without Football Manager
Imagine waiting all year for your favourite game, only for it to be delayed… twice… and then scrapped entirely. That was the reality of Football Manager 25. In February 2025, Sports Interactive confirmed what fans feared most – FM25 wasn’t happening. After over 30 years of annual releases, the unthinkable became reality.
Speaking to The Athletic, studio director Miles Jacobson called it “absolutely the right thing to do”.
“I feel the need to apologise to our community for not delivering last year. We’ve become a big part of people’s lives… But pulling the game last year was absolutely the right thing to do.” – Miles Jacobson, The Athletic interview
So, what went so wrong that an entire Football Manager release had to be cancelled? And more importantly – what does it mean for FM26?
1. Jacobson: “We couldn’t release this”
The breaking point came just before Christmas. Jacobson received a build of FM25, sat down to test it, and within an hour knew the truth:
“I literally sat there and just couldn’t find things in my own game. It was pretty embarrassing. It was within an hour that I thought: ‘We can’t release.’”
Key features were missing. The game wasn’t just unpolished – it was unplayable.
2. Three Curveballs That Killed FM25
On September 4th, 2024, SI published a development update mentioning ‘revising timelines’ after three major setbacks landed on the same day:
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Forgotten bug-fixing process – a collective human error.
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A legal issue – Jacobson couldn’t share details, but Sega’s legal team flagged it as serious.
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An undisclosed third issue – never explained publicly, but severe enough to derail release plans.
Delays piled up. Cancellation became unavoidable.
3. Project Dragonfly – The Unity Gamble
FM25 was supposed to be the dawn of a new era: a complete rebuild of the game using the Unity engine. Internally called Project Dragonfly, the transition from C++ to C# proved far more complex than anticipated.
“We were then expecting it to take about two weeks to do all the work of converting the C++ code into C#. Some of it took two weeks, some of it took nine months.”
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The UI was rebuilt from scratch
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Graphics had to be redone
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The database was restructured
Switching engines was like learning a new language overnight. The heavy lifting is now complete – but FM25 paid the price.
4. The Financial Fallout
When Sega Sammy reported Q3 2025 financials, FM25’s cancellation triggered a 3.89% stock drop. For SI, it meant losing a year’s guaranteed revenue.
“Financially, it was a disaster… but you can’t just put s*** in a box and expect it to sell.” – Jacobson
Despite the disaster, Sega supported SI, valuing long-term trust over short-term profits.
5. From Failure to FM26
The silence from SI frustrated fans, but Jacobson insists it was intentional:
“In this world, you’ve got to shut the f*** up, otherwise people will take a tiny breadcrumb and turn it into a loaf of bread.”
Instead of rushing, SI regrouped and started building FM26. The result? A hybrid of FM24 stability, FM25’s groundwork, and new FM26 features:
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Old messaging system returns – the tile-and-card experiment is gone, replaced by a modernised email system.
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Women’s football included – over 35,000 players rated, with leagues playable alongside men’s saves. Read more: FM26 Women’s Database Revealed
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Licensing boost – EAFC helped carve out exclusive rights so women’s leagues could feature properly.
“We’re really proud. We’re doing more in year one than any other video game has done in women’s football, full stop.” – Jacobson
Fans desperate for more FM26 info can also check our breakdown: Football Manager 2026 Release Date – What We Know So Far.
6. “We Have a Game Again”
Back. Better. Building for the season ahead.#FM26 Match Day First Look. Coming soon. pic.twitter.com/zLcBEUvOQq
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) August 13, 2025
Morale at SI only shifted once the new messaging system was implemented. That was the turning point:
“The mood change when that went in was huge, just huge. It was like: ‘Wow, we really do have a game again.’”
From that moment, optimism around FM26 replaced the embarrassment of FM25.
Final Whistle
Cancelling FM25 was brutal but necessary. SI avoided releasing a broken product, preserved long-term trust, and doubled down on quality. Now all eyes are on Football Manager 26 – a game rebuilt on lessons learned, a new engine, and the long-awaited arrival of women’s football.
The wait has been tough, but FM26 might just be the most important release in the series’ history.
For further reading:
FAQ
Why was Football Manager 25 cancelled?
FM25 was cancelled due to missing features, technical setbacks with the Unity
engine, and multiple unexpected delays. Jacobson called it
“embarrassing” and said releasing it would have been wrong.
What engine will FM26 use?
FM26 is built on Unity, following Project Dragonfly. The hardest
parts of the transition are now complete, setting the foundation for future
editions.
Will FM26 include women’s football?
Yes. Over 35,000 women’s players have been rated, with multiple leagues
included. Players can run men’s and women’s saves side by side. Learn
more here:
FM26 Women’s Database Revealed
Where can I read the full Miles Jacobson interview?
You can find the full interview with The Athletic
here.
