*Official* Football Manager 2013 Announced!

The best-selling, most realistic football management series ever made is back and will be released before Xmas. Football Manager 2013 introduces more than 900 new features & new ways to play. Check http://www.footballmanager.com from Monday for more indepth feature videos each week.

Game Information

Football Manager. Always.

Football Manager is the best-selling, most realistic football management series ever made. Football Manager 2013 celebrates 20 years of games from the people at Sports Interactive by introducing an array of new features.

This year’s version allows you to take control of any club in more than 50 nations across the world and includes all of Europe’s biggest leagues as well as database of over 500,000 real-world players and staff.

As well as some landmark new features in the Career Mode, there are now new ways to enjoy your Football Manager experience.

NEW TO CAREER MODE…

Match Engine

The 3D match engine has seen huge improvements this year. Everything on the pitch looks more realistic; from the stadiums, the players’ movement, intelligence, and the way the ball moves through the air.

We’ve also introduced hundreds of new animations to make the game feel more realistic and we’ve made the whole experience more televisual by introducing new camera angles and showing the kick-off and final whistle.

Manager Roles

Another notable difference is the significant restructure of the manager’s staff and a revamp of their roles. The most obvious is that we’ve introduced the position of Director of Football into the game for the first time, which will allow managers to pass on some of their workload, such as contract negotiations, if they choose to.

In addition to this, we’ve also increased the number of specialist coaching roles within the game and given the manager greater flexibility to choose which coaches offer advice and when. The manager can also choose to complain about boardroom interference – although that particular option should probably be used sparingly.

And much more…

A brand new training system, improved international management, tones in press conferences & a new user interface.

NEW WAYS TO PLAY…

Classic and Challenge Modes

Football Manager Classic is a less time-consuming way to enjoy Football Manager. The essence of the game is exactly the same – the manager still takes charge of a squad of players and competes at whatever level he or she chooses – but they will now find that a number of their responsibilities have either been taken over by their support staff or have disappeared completely.

For example, while the player still takes charge of training in FMC, this is carried out at a 'full team' level only – there's no individual player training. And when it gets to matches themselves, there are no team talks or opposition reports... you just go straight to a game using the same 3D match engine as Career Mode. The games are played out in a quicker 'highlights only' fashion, but you can even speed this up by going straight to ‘Instant Result’.

Players who opt for Football Manager Classic will also find that they have a couple of further options in terms of how they play the game; they can either play a full open-ended ‘Career’ or they can choose to play in the new ‘Challenge’ mode.

In Challenge mode they’ll find themselves in a particular situation which will test their management skills over a shorter game time – usually half a season. Can you win a trophy with a team consisting almost entirely of kids? Or could you guide your club to safety despite being bottom of the table at Xmas?

We first introduced Challenge Mode in Football Manager Handheld 2012 and it proved to be so popular that we’ve decided to include it in FMC too.

The game will come with four free-to-play challenges, each of which feeds in to a global leaderboard.

Network Play

The brand new Network Play is fully integrated with Steam’s network functionality which means that players should be able to set up and enjoy games against their friends far more easily than before. The Network Mode also allows people to set-up special one-off leagues and cups and to import their team from their career mode, so you can now end any debate about whose FM team is better.

The deeper integration with Steam will also allow us to manage worldwide leaderboards, so, for the first time you’ll really know how good a manager you are.

Plus over 900 other new features!

Take my money take it all

what ^ said.

Very excited about this!

Can we have details in text form so those of us unable to watch videos can see what its all about?

Micro transactions sounds horrible. That won't mean the end of FMRTE and so on, right? Don't want this game to go the Tiger Woods way of paying to unlock what is otherwise just known as cheats.

Everything else sounds great.

Can we have some screenshots please.

CAN NOT WAIT

Before this announcement, it was much easier waiting for Football Manager 2013...

I am suprised, was expecting more negative comments. I like it, sounds like it should be good, Pleased about tones in press conferences, loans and things like that revamped sounds good, hoping for some more big changes to the game, I can't see myself playing the 2 new modes.

900 extras is sensational by the way

Well done SI

Smashed it one time bro

finaly a real training system?

Can't wait I'm ready

just bring it !

Glad to hear about classic mode - fm definitely takes too long for me. Hope too much hasn't been removed for this mode though!

You know you're addicted to Football Manager when the next game is announced and your priority is to watch the announcement video while you desperately need to go to the toilet.

very exciting news.. and some exciting new features i think... probably leave the classic mode etc but good additions i feel...

I'm pleased SI are adding to the existing model and not scrapping it for the microtransaction stuff fully... Having a choice makes it fine...

Not really understand about the Classic mode but looking forward for Challenge mode

also... network capability over steam sounds superb... a proper fully supported network game mode will be amazing

Oooo giddy giddy

Looking forward to seeing what they do with the media and the scouting. The classic mode doesnt interest me but the challenges are a good idea. Bit of a shame it looks like we'll have to wait until nov/dec at best to play the game

Great news, can't wait!

if classic mode offers the player the option to essentially buy a few in-game millions for real world money...

i wonder how SI have gone about ensuring no third party tools will be able to override this option..

I listen these press conferences every year before release, get excited and can't wait until the game is out but end up with disappointment after 3-4 months and then stop playing.

For me - most important issue was the AI development.. Personally, I don't want a new camera angle...I only want AI to compete with me.. if you keep on winning all the time , starting the league with 15 games 15 wins, when AI teams buy crap players for years and years, then game loses the fun after maximum 5 years years of career mode.

Unfortunately, haven't heard anything so far regarding AI improvement so far..

Looking forward to seeing what they do with the media and the scouting. The classic mode doesnt interest me but the challenges are a good idea. Bit of a shame it looks like we'll have to wait until nov/dec at best to play the game

They say the same thing every year- it'll probably be out the same time as last year

Please... please... say you've fixed the corner bug. Then my rapture shall be complete!

I hope the Transfers and loans have been sorted out to the extent that when you want to loan players it should be so easy as lower league clubs would be snapping at your door to loan your young stars.

and agents please sort them out, you can never tell a player it is your agent that won't let me speak to you......yet the player wants a move to your club, they should sack there agent.

another quick one if you don't need a player you should be able to tell them so it is up to them to also help them selfes find a club via there agent instead of just us offering the player to other clubs his agent may find a team that we did not approach..

other than that i am looking forward to this one as i have the rest...

Really looking forward to the new training and scouting system. Also the director of football role included would be good seen as though most contracts in real are gone through them. The tax and wages part looks great for those "greedy" players.

This will be pre-ordered the second I get paid

They say the same thing every year- it'll probably be out the same time as last year

My money is on Friday October 26th

Classic mode sounds terrible, kind of bummed they wasted their time on that instead of fixing things like press conferences, which now sound even more convoluted. I am excited about the upgraded financial system in the "real" game though. Not touching classic "kiddie" mode though.

Very happy at network games been played via Steam servers, hopefully this is going to be the icing on the cake for a flawless game online.

can.....not......wait

Looks so far so good and sounds promising good job

if classic mode offers the player the option to essentially buy a few in-game millions for real world money...

i wonder how SI have gone about ensuring no third party tools will be able to override this option..

Oh they arent putting micro transactions in are they ? That is truly awful.

As long as it doesnt affect the game for anyone who doesnt want them then its no biggie, but a real shame SI want to try to make extra money. If you want extra millions at moment you just change it in an editor. If they are going to prevent real time editors then that too could be crap.

Micro transactions? I thought you have to unlock stuff be completing the challenges

so excited, looks great.

Sounds excellent. I actually love a long and in-depth FM career so I tend to only buy every other version but lack of free time meant I never bought FM12 after a 40-odd year career in FM10.

I'll almost certainly be buying FM13, not because it has FMC, although it is a brilliant addition and one I'd expect many users on here to take advantage of, but challenge mode sounds like something I would really enjoy when I get a bit of free time away from work, as well as starting up another long-haul game.

Very excited! KUTGW Miles and Co.

what means CLASSIC MODE ?

Oh they arent putting micro transactions in are they ? That is truly awful.

"Classic mode adds various 'unlockable' features that can ease the difficulty of the game. Players can remove the need for work permits, for example, or add cash to their transfer budgets.

This is where Football Manager adds in a new microtransactions model, with players allowed to either earn the features or pay for them themselves."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/366828/fm-2013-lite-mode-streamlines-play-adds-microtransactions/

Classic Mode is a streamlined version for those who don't have the time to make the commitment to the behemoth that FM has become. Miles suggesting you could get through a season in 8-10 hours of play time.

"Classic mode adds various 'unlockable' features that can ease the difficulty of the game. Players can remove the need for work permits, for example, or add cash to their transfer budgets.

This is where Football Manager adds in a new microtransactions model, with players allowed to either earn the features or pay for them themselves."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/366828/fm-2013-lite-mode-streamlines-play-adds-microtransactions/

Yuk.

I shant be using them. If it attracts others to the game without detracting me from it then its not an issue.

I.Want.It.Now

I'm happy about changements on training system, but what about the Match Engine?

The 3D match engine will be improved, it's ok. But is the match engine itself improved? I don't want to play FM11 again with better graphic.

Shut up and take my money!

Can't believe they've wasted time and energy on producing FMC and the challenges. It's all far too 'gimmicky' for my liking.

Adding tones to the media interaction isn't going to make them any less boring either IMO, infact it's going to be worse as it's even more repetitive clicks.

Please, please SI, say you have vastly improved the AI's ability for squad building in the next announcement.

I'm happy about changements on training system, but what about the Match Engine?

The 3D match engine will be improved, it's ok. But is the match engine itself improved? I don't want to play FM11 again with better graphic.

The video mentioned Match Engine AI being improved as well, I believe.

Can anyone confirm?

Not interested at all in the classic mode or paying for anything other than the game, but thats the way things are going now, i cant see any reason why spending time on that will have adversly affected the normal game so im looking forward too it all the same. New loaning system sounds interesting and new animations in the ME are always good. Interested to see how they have changed the PC's as well.