Football Manager confirms why FM24 data update is not happening

The thought among fans was that such an update would breathe a breath of fresh air into FM24 and make the wait for FM25 a little less painful.

Instead of introducing a new data update, Sports Interactive has released a statement confirming that there will not be any update as it focuses on the development of FM25.

The statement states in no uncertain terms that FM24 will not receive an official update to patch the 2024/25 season data. The social media post even states that it is “not possible.”

As to why, the statement confirms: “Having identified the work that would be required, and despite a good initial response from many of our licensors, we cannot take over and leave the assets we use in FM25 work in FM24 without completely recreating them.

“The same goes for many competition rules, translations and database changes that cannot be reversed. The updated assets and data would both be required to obtain licensor approval – they cannot be separated.

“This is a substantial undertaking that would take away crucial resources from delivering FM25 at the highest possible quality, which we simply cannot compromise on.”

The statement on the data update follows the decision to delay the release of FM25 until March 2025 to give Sports Interactive enough time to release a polished product.

Without any new content, some may wonder if it’s worth continuing to save FM24 without the most up-to-date information in their games.

However, many remain optimistic about FM25’s success. One fan says: “Thanks for being transparent and keeping us informed of what’s going on. Real FM fans will be excited to play FM25 anyway.”

Sports Interactive also revealed that fans who don’t want to wait the extra months can get a refund from the store they pre-ordered the game from.

Despite the decline, interest in FM25 remains at an all-time high, with many expecting the best installment of the management franchise yet thanks to the extra development time.

FM25 is being positioned as a fresh start for the franchise, deploying a new game engine.

The delay to FM25 without an official data update is certainly frustrating, but Sports Interactive’s transparency is far better than leaving fans in the dark about the situation.

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If FM25 were to launch riddled with bugs and inaccuracies, it would be a catastrophic mistake by the developer and would undoubtedly frustrate fans even more than they already are.

For those desperate for a new set of data for their storage, the community is already creating their own fan-made databases full of the latest promotions and relegations for the most realistic experience.

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