For you soccer fans out there content to control things from the sidelines, it looks like you'll have to resign yourself SEGA's Football Manger brand, because EA has decided to end its own management simulation franchise, FIFA Manager. FIFA Manager 14, released in October, is officially the last game in the series.
German developer Bright Future's founder and designer, Gerald Köhler, announced the series finale over at the FIFA Manager homepage, writing a formal letter to the fans. Since EA's purchase of the company in 2006, Bright Future has put out primarily FIFA Manager titles, so with the series now at its end, it's unknown what the future holds for the company.
While EA's decision to end the series comes as a disappointment to the developer, as well as a great number of fans, the move is fairly understandable. Since FIFA Manager '09, three years after EA's purchase of Bright Future, the series seemingly had anything but. As of then, no game in the series has managed to score above a 75 according to aggregate score site Metacritic.
You can read the letter in its entirety below.
Dear Football Fans,
Today I'm writing to tell you that FIFA MANAGER 14 will be the last instalment of the football simulation series marketed by EA SPORTS. This is was a very tough decision, so I want to take the time to explain it.This probably comes as a big disappointment to many of you, and it is understandable that you would ask why.
The football manager genre at this level of sophistication is highly specialised and primarily played in two countries (England and Germany), in which - on top of everything - one game has practically dominated the market in recent years. The niche market and general trend toward online and mobile games were also contributing factors. Moreover, FM had reached a crossroads at which a new engine and/or corresponding online technology would be the only way to give the series a boost. When all these factors were evaluated, it led us to the decision to blow the final whistle.
All of us, the team at Bright Future and our colleagues at EA SPORTS, loved and still love FIFA MANAGER. It's a game that has captivated many fans over the years, and been our pride and joy since its first instalment FIFA MANAGER 2002 (with Rudi Assauer on the cover). We've had Löw and Mourinho on the cover, Felix Magath twice, and many other German and international stars who have lent their expertise to the game. We were also lucky to have a very dedicated community. Your passion and commitment to FIFA MANAGER is unrivalled, and made the series a great joy to work on.
You have our heartfelt gratitude. We hope you'll keep playing FM as long as possible, and that the fan sites will go all out to expand and improve the game wherever they can. For all your years of support and all your passion for our game, we thank you."
