SI unveils Football Manager MMO

By Robert Purchese Published 20 April, 2007

Beta test starting in May.

Sports Interactive has revealed that it's working on a Football Manager MMO for PC and Mac.

It's due to be released in March 2008, and a beta test is planned to begin next month.

Football Manager Live will let you create and manage your own custom team, competing against up to 1000 other people on each game server.

"Imagine a cross between Football Manager, fantasy sports and auctions sites - and you are part of the way to understanding Football Manager Live," said Miles Jacobson, managing director of Sports Interactive. "It's great to be able to announce the game, and we can't wait to see the reaction to the beta when it launches next month."

You'll be able to have your team chosen automatically, or pick players from the game world yourself with a 100k wage limit. From there you'll chose one of many user-created or standard leagues to participate in. These could be specific leagues, such as a Wednesday table where games take place each week on a Wednesday evening. And don't worry if you miss a game - the computer will auto-play for you if you cannot make it.

The project is being led by Oliver Collyer, co-founder of SI, who briefly left to go travelling a few years ago. The game will only be small in size, around 11MB for PC and 15MB for Mac, giving you the chance to keep your teams up to date in Internet cafes when on holiday, or round your mate's house when he isn't looking.

It'll use the 2D match engine familiar to Football Manager fans, and present you with a wealth of options and tactics inherent to the popular series. Player trading will be done using an auction mechanic, where by you set the time and price and other people bid to win your talented dribblers.

And don't be put off by the MMO label, those with less time on their hands won't be at a big disadvantage, with casual players promised bigger point rewards from less frequent games.

Sports Interactive will be giving out exclusive beta keys throughout May. Keep an eye on the Football Manager Live website to find out more.

Alternatively keep your eyes peeled for our great big fantastic marvellous Football Manager Live feature, which will be published later today.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (27) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • McBain #1 5 years ago

    Forst!

    edit: Jist cannae wait for this!
    Edited by 1 at 20/04/07 @ 10:20

  • krudster #2 5 years ago

    So quick he forgot how to spell :)

  • afray #3 5 years ago

    Happy so happy happy.

  • Grump #4 5 years ago

    Can we also have a handheld version for the PSP?

  • Mr_Brown #5 5 years ago

    Can't wait...going to start with the Premiership.

    Hopefully won't too long before get to level 60 with an epic defense set.
    Edited by 1 at 20/04/07 @ 10:43

  • Psi #6 5 years ago

    wanna get in the open beta for this!!

  • marilena #7 5 years ago

    No, SI, don't do it! It's going to ruin my life :(.

  • Errol #8 5 years ago

    This could be the game I've been waiting for for 10yrs.

  • kalel #9 5 years ago

    Er...I swear to god I beta tested this game about 3 years ago or something. What the hell??

    :/

  • LetsGo #10 5 years ago

    This sounds GREAT! althrough after reading the FAQ... little dissapointed.

    1) Sounds like a 'lite' FM "On top of this, there are many people who have played our games over the years that have felt the hardcore nature of the series is too much for them, or they simply didn't have the time to play the game anymore as circumstances for them had changed. "

    2) Its not like a proper league format - bit like Pro Evo Xbox rankings im guessing.... "In the main gameworld rankings, it's not a case of three points for a win; you are awarded points for winning ".

    Personnaly, I was hoping for something like SoccerSim used to be. You were put in a league and play matches at a set time and you can set condidtions i.e. if you go a goal down, sub X and change to tactic Y etc....

    Still, I'll give it a go and play it :).

  • marc_si #11 5 years ago

    "Slowly the finish of single player games. Its inevitable. "

    I don't agree with this at all I'm afraid - MMO and single player gaming are very different and seperate, especially with simulation games like FM.

    Normal FM will continue as usual, FML is a brand new game :-D

  • orakio #12 5 years ago

    Hattrick has been around for ages. This game is not innovative at all

  • Errol #13 5 years ago

    I would still prefer an exact copy of FM but with an MMO function.

  • Dougs #14 5 years ago

    Oh dear. Oh dear indeed. It is a good job the missus doesn't read here or she might just pull out of our wedding because of this! :)

    Sounds ace.

  • s33r #15 5 years ago

    Can't wait for this

  • vane101 #16 5 years ago

    @Kalel

    You probably tested Championship Manager Online - the Eidos multiplayer game which is still ongoing. Not sure it's that popular though.

    I remember some other game called Total Soccer Manager I think. Full of bugs and the same people dominated it by obsessive play.

  • WriterUK #17 5 years ago

    It's times like this I genuinely wish I liked football... :)

    Sounds great for FM fans.

  • joeking #18 5 years ago

    Is this a full or low fat FM MMOG?

  • Miles_SI #19 5 years ago

    Grump - it's PC and Mac first. We'll be looking at other formats over time, but that time will be years, rather than months.

    Orakio - Hattrick, whilst a good game, is nothing like FML, apart from them both being based around football.

    Errol - that just plain wouldn't work. We've spent a lot of time working on this stuff to see what does, and what doesn't. It's one of those "trust us" times ;)

  • thrawn #20 5 years ago

    Looks very interesting. Can't wait to give this a try.

  • tentonipete #21 5 years ago

    @kalel:

    i beta tested the championship manager online game too. it was a bit rubbish. they spelled "losing" "loosing" on one of the ingame menus and refused to change the spelling when i pointed it out to them.
    Edited by 1 at 20/04/07 @ 13:17

  • Popzeus #22 5 years ago

    /drools

  • kalel #23 5 years ago

    Ah, yeah, of course. It was Champ Man that I beta tested. Phew that stunk, although thinking about it presumably that was an SI effort no?

    Hope they've sorted themselves out for the FM one...

    Oh, tentonipete. I think I know you from the Spurs Community forum! :) I'll send you an invite to the Spurs Mafia group on the forum...

  • Miles_SI #24 5 years ago

    Kalel - CM Online was nothing to do with us at all. We'd left Eidos by then. I believe it's made by a Swedish developer called Jadestone.

  • orakio #25 5 years ago

    tachikoma: "hattrick.org?"

    ...yep

  • SomaticSense #26 5 years ago

    "2) Its not like a proper league format - bit like Pro Evo Xbox rankings im guessing.... "In the main gameworld rankings, it's not a case of three points for a win; you are awarded points for winning ". "

    If they aren't going to do it properly, then they shouldn't bother at all IMO. Ie, one person per team (if your preffered team is taken, tough shit, you'll have to be the obscure Bolivian club side that no one has picked), and with realistic cup, league structures.

    Online rankings based on simple Vs. modes is BS. This is supposed to be a proper football managment sim, not Street Fighter.

  • Nikanoru #27 5 years ago

    Online is where it is BABY



    Slowly the finish of single player games. Its inevitable.



    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
    hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
    hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
    hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
    hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
    hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha no.