Football Manager 2018 Announcement

[Neil Brock]

As football clubs across the globe are busy making their final signings of the summer, there’s one addition that every football fan needs in their squad… and we’re delighted to reveal that Football Manager 2018 will be ready for action on Friday, November 10^th.

Anyone who pre-purchases Football Manager 2018 (for PC, Mac or Linux) through a SEGA approved digital retailer* will be given access to a fully-playable Beta version two weeks before the official release date. As in previous years, single player careers started in the Beta can be continued on in the full game.

In addition, fans who pre-purchase Football Manager 2018 (before Monday, October 9^th) and have Football Manager 2017 in their Steam Library will receive a 'Contract Extension Bonus' discount of 25% off their purchase via Steam or the SEGA Store.

The first details of new features and updates in Football Manager 2018 will be revealed in late September through the Football Manager website, the official FM social media channels (including Twitter & Facebook) and here on the official SI Forums.

Also this year for the first time, all three versions of the game – Football Manager 2018 (PC, Mac and Linux), Football Manager Touch 2018 (PC, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android) and Football Manager Mobile 2018 (iOS and Android) will be released on the same day.

 

 

*Pre-release Beta is available from SEGA approved digital retailers only; please check here for an exhaustive list of digital retailers and more details as to what constitutes a SEGA approved retailer.

[Miles Jacobson]

With FM17 we attempted to do something that we’d wanted to do for years – and that was to put in place an “early bird loyalty scheme”, just like you have with season tickets at football clubs, so that if you owned our last 4 titles, you got a 20% discount from your pre-order from our friends at Steam. It was very experimental – not something that others devs had managed in the past in the way we did it, and we’re very grateful to Steam for putting the technology in place not just for you, but also for other studios and publishers who wanted to use it in the future.

It was hugely successful and appreciated by a very large group of people – our pre-orders had never been higher. But we also saw quite a bit of negativity on social media for varying reasons, but mainly because people didn’t understand it, or thought we were doing it only in advance of announcing any features, the latter of which wasn’t true.

So we spent some time with Steam and SEGA working out how we could simplify the offering to make it easier to understand, whilst utilising the technology that Steam have available to them. And, of course, get them to agree to give a discount to their customers, as they are the retailer, not us.

Therefore, those who pre-order Football Manager 2018 via Steam (or the SEGA store), and who own Football Manager 2017, will get 25% off up until October 9^th. Because it’s only for people who own FM17, we’re not calling it a loyalty scheme anymore, as it’s one game not 4. So it’s now a signing on bonus for those extending their contracts. Gotta love using football terminology for these things J

By the time the promotion ends, the key new features will already have been trailed (those are due to be announced late September as Brocky mentions above) and we may have even released 1 or 2 full feature videos by then – can’t confirm the latter yet, as we don’t yet know what dates those will be released, or even how many feature videos we’re doing in total as yet. But you’ll have the headline feature news already, so all good!

For those that don't already have it, our friends at Steam are offering a whopping 80% discount on FM2017 for 48 hours from the time of this posting too...
http://store.steampowered.com/app/482730/Football_Manager_2017/

[YKW]

Can't fault this, very very well done.

Straight 25% discount, expires well after the new feature announcement, and also hugely discounted FM2017.

[Sunbao]

2 minutes ago, YKW said:

Can't fault this, very very well done.

Straight 25% discount, expires well after the new feature announcement, and also hugely discounted FM2017.

But not much offer for most of europe in it the 55 euro steam normally takes for the game is miles over what its sold for in most country so the 25% discount just bring it down around normal price.

[XaW]

Well, my winter will once again disappear in a haze of FM. I think the missus hate you guys.

[John_Yuki]

Quote

and that was to put in place an “early bird loyalty scheme”, just like you have with season tickets at football clubs

Except at Football clubs you know what you are getting when you purchase your season ticket. We know NOTHING about this game yet, and you have already opened pre-orders for the game? I don't see the benefit of this for your loyal customers at all. It seems more logical to start accepting pre-orders AFTER you release details about the game. I would love to hear your reasoning for doing this? 

 

[Guest]

 Come on, Miles & Bocky have already confirmed that feature will be announced before the discount period ends.

That's what many asked for last year so that's what SI are doing this year.

Edit: The analogy you make isn't even close, all you know when buying a season ticket is you get 19 or so matches, they could all be  garbage defeats on the way to relegation but you buy in the hope it's 100% success.

[Sheriff7]

Already pre-order it with 25% discount..

[John_Yuki]

3 minutes ago, Barside said:

 Come on, Miles & Bocky have already confirmed that feature will be announced before the discount period ends.

That's what many asked for last year so that's what SI are doing this year.

That doesn't change the fact that we know nothing about the game NOW. They have opened preorders today, but are not releasing details today. Therefore you are preordering something you know nothing about. The "ethical" thing to do would be to start preorders when they release details, instead of taking advantage of their loyal customers in to buying something that has absolutely ZERO features announced. 

[felipencntst]

@Neil Brock, when will retailers have the pre-order? In Brazil I can't buy it via Steam so I need to buy a Steam key through Gamesplanet.

[Miles Jacobson]

7 minutes ago, John_Yuki said:

Except at Football clubs you know what you are getting when you purchase your season ticket. We know NOTHING about this game yet, and you have already opened pre-orders for the game? I don't see the benefit of this for your loyal customers at all. It seems more logical to start accepting pre-orders AFTER you release details about the game. I would love to hear your reasoning for doing this? 

 

Early bird season tickets are on sale until April at most clubs. With any chasing promotion & relegation, they don't know what division they in. They end well before the transfer market opens, let alone closes.

We are announcing features before the discount period ends. Which is more than any club early bird discount does.

So I don't understand your issue. At all.

[martplfc1]

Oh god not this nonsense about details not being available again

Will be pre-ordering come pay day, tyvm

 

Edited August 15, 2017 by martplfc1

[Huey Lewis]

2 minutes ago, John_Yuki said:

That doesn't change the fact that we know nothing about the game NOW. They have opened preorders today, but are not releasing details today. Therefore you are preordering something you know nothing about. The "ethical" thing to do would be to start preorders when they release details, instead of taking advantage of their loyal customers in to buying something that has absolutely ZERO features announced. 

You need to look up the definition of "ethical" as you don't seem to have any idea what it means. 

[John_Yuki]

3 minutes ago, Miles Jacobson said:

Early bird season tickets are on sale until April at most clubs. With any chasing promotion & relegation, they don't know what division they in. They end well before the transfer market opens, let alone closes.

We are announcing features before the discount period ends. Which is more than any club early bird discount does.

So I don't understand your issue. At all.

My issue is that opening preorders for a game that has announced 0 new features yet is just a cheap marketing gimmick. If you announce features and people end up not liking the game, then you'll probably sell fewer copies of the game than if you were to hype up the game early and get some preorders flowing in. That's exactly what it sounds like. It just seems like it is just taking advantage of people who are too dumb to realise this. If I have this wrong then I would really love to hear what the actual reason for opening preorders this early are? 

And I know, I know, you are releasing details on the game before this deal ends, I get it. However why not just open preorders after you have released some details? You clearly know what is going to be in the game by now, so dropping some features surely is not an issue? 

[Wells]

Ah not again..

But anyways, I will be buying it regardless..

Edited August 15, 2017 by Wells

[BayernMB]

7 minutes ago, John_Yuki said:

That doesn't change the fact that we know nothing about the game NOW. They have opened preorders today, but are not releasing details today. Therefore you are preordering something you know nothing about. The "ethical" thing to do would be to start preorders when they release details, instead of taking advantage of their loyal customers in to buying something that has absolutely ZERO features announced. 

Then don't buy it yet... wait for the features... it is clearly written that there is enough time... Or is someone forcing you to buy now?

[Smurf]

You can always cancel your pre-order if not happy with the Beta or the announced features. 

[John_Yuki]

3 minutes ago, BayernMB said:

Then don't buy it yet... wait for the features... it is clearly written that there is enough time... Or is someone forcing you to buy now?

That is exactly what I will do. But as a paying customer I am voicing my displeasure over the way these preorders are being done, as is my right. If you are fine with letting game companies own you like this, then that is your right too, as it is your money you are potentially throwing away on something you might not even like.

Edited August 15, 2017 by John_Yuki

[ChrisNUFC]

Cheaper FM is always welcome. I can't imagine anyone complaining if FIFA or other yearly released franchises did this. 

[Smurf]

Just now, John_Yuki said:

That is exactly what I will do. But as a paying customer I am voicing my displeasure over the way these preorders are being done, as is my right. If you are fine with letting game companies **** you in the ass like this, then that is your right too, as it is your money you are potentially throwing away on something you might not even like.

You need to calm down - preorder it now - if you don't like the feature announcements then you can cancel your order. You can play the Beta - and if you're not satisfied then you can cancel your pre-order.

[John_Yuki]

Just now, ChrisNUFC said:

Cheaper FM is always welcome. I can't imagine anyone complaining if FIFA or other yearly released franchises did this. 

THEY DO THOUGH LMAO. So many people have a seething hatred for companies that preorder so early. Go on to literally any gaming forum, start a topic called "What do you think about preorders" and I guarantee that there will be a noticeable amount of people that absolutely hate preorders. 

[Sheriff7]

1 minute ago, John_Yuki said:

That is exactly what I will do. But as a paying customer I am voicing my displeasure over the way these preorders are being done, as is my right. If you are fine with letting game companies **** you in the ass like this, then that is your right too, as it is your money you are potentially throwing away on something you might not even like.

We talk about a game who cost 40 euros and keeps your interest for a whole year..Who exactly ####s you???

[BoxToBox]

I'm hoping in this one that you get to be the manager of a football club.

[John_Yuki]

Just now, Sheriff7 said:

We talk about a game who cost 40 euros and keeps your interest for a whole year..Who exactly ####s you???

Hey man. I've just made this new game. It's really similar to my old game, however the new one is not finished just yet, and I can't tell you anything about it. Please preorder it. 

Of course you wouldn't preorder it. So why then, should companies like SI get away with it? Because they're a big company? It's taking advantage of loyal customers, plain and simple. That's literally the only reason preorders exist. Try to get as much money now before features are released just in case people dislike the look of the new game. The companies will usually throw in something extra, like a discount, or allowing you to play the game early. Games like Call of Duty have their founders edition, or whatever they call it now, where you literally get a crate full of goodies for preordering the game. 

[HUNT3R]

10 minutes ago, John_Yuki said:

My issue is that opening preorders for a game that has announced 0 new features yet is just a cheap marketing gimmick. If you announce features and people end up not liking the game, then you'll probably sell fewer copies of the game than if you were to hype up the game early and get some preorders flowing in. That's exactly what it sounds like. It just seems like it is just taking advantage of people who are too dumb to realise this. If I have this wrong then I would really love to hear what the actual reason for opening preorders this early are? 

And I know, I know, you are releasing details on the game before this deal ends, I get it. However why not just open preorders after you have released some details? You clearly know what is going to be in the game by now, so dropping some features surely is not an issue? 

Do you know what I can safely assume based on every year before? Updated squads, ME and AI. That's enough to get me to pre-order, nevermind the 25% off. For those who want to wait, they can.

[Connor]

Out of interest, have the system requirements been released?

If not, obviously that is something worth waiting for, before pre-ordering, if the risk is it could be diferent

[HUNT3R]

Just now, Connor said:

Out of interest, have the system requirements been released?

If not, obviously that is something worth waiting for, before pre-ordering, if the risk is it could be diferent

What is in the OP has been released. Nothing more, yet.

[John_Yuki]

Just now, HUNT3R said:

Do you know what I can safely assume based on every year before? Updated squads, ME and AI. That's enough to get me to pre-order, nevermind the 25% off. For those who want to wait, they can.

Updated squads that the community does for FREE every single year. Match Engine upgrades are great, sure, but what match engine upgrades are those? As far as I am aware, SI says "we updated the match engine and AI", but barely says anything about what they updated. If I recall correctly, I remember someone from SI (maybe it was Miles, I'm not sure), claim that there were over 4000 updates to the match engine and AI. A list of that stuff would be real swell instead of just having to take their word for it. 

[Connor]

Thanks Hunter, something worth bearing in mind then, assume System requirements will be released before pre-order discount offer, is over?

Edited August 15, 2017 by Connor

[CFuller]

For someone who got 15% off FM17, a 25% discount is nothing to be sniffed at. 

I'll hold my fire and won't pre-order just yet. I'll wait to see what new/improved features there are and then go from there.

1 minute ago, Connor said:

Out of interest, have the system requirements been released?

You'll find the system requirements here.

[felipencntst]

@Neil Brock, another question (and forgive me as I'm noob as hell about this kind of stuff): how can a SEGA approved digital retailer know if I have FM 2017 on Steam?

[HUNT3R]

Just now, John_Yuki said:

Updated squads that the community does for FREE every single year. Match Engine upgrades are great, sure, but what match engine upgrades are those? As far as I am aware, SI says "we updated the match engine and AI", but barely says anything about what they updated. If I recall correctly, I remember someone from SI (maybe it was Miles, I'm not sure), claim that there were over 4000 updates to the match engine and AI. A list of that stuff would be real swell instead of just having to take their word for it. 

Then, as I said - wait for features before deciding.

[John_Yuki]

Just now, HUNT3R said:

Then, as I said - wait for features before deciding.

Aye, I will do, as I have always done. But as I said, as a paying customer I do believe I should have the right to voice my displeasure over these types of things. I also have the right to free speech as a human being. That is all I am doing. If people want to throw their money at a game they know literally nothing about, then that is their right as it is their money. 

[Connor]

Ah ok so the System Requirements HAVE been released also, albeit just on steam

Perfect thanks

[ChrisNUFC]

11 minutes ago, John_Yuki said:

THEY DO THOUGH LMAO. So many people have a seething hatred for companies that preorder so early. Go on to literally any gaming forum, start a topic called "What do you think about preorders" and I guarantee that there will be a noticeable amount of people that absolutely hate preorders. 

I was referring to a discount for owning the previous year's title. I very much doubt there will be 20% off FIFA 18 for owning FIFA 17, nope you'll be asked to pay the normal £50 or £70 depending on what stupid version you want to buy. 

I'm not denying that people are against the pre-order model, I've been around long enough and worked at various levels of retail and game development to know how drastically the concept of preordering has changed. For those young uns out there, preordering was originally used as a way for shops to gauge how much stock they had to order. Of course that hardly matters now considering digital platforms. 

Publishers have adapted and used preorders and the likes as a psychological means to intice, which they are more than welcome to do - that's their job. To make you want the game. How they do it is up to them, and sadly it's often done in such a way that it is seen as 'anti-consumer'. The fragmenting of content across various retailers as EXCLUSIVE PREORDER DLC, The Day 1 Editions where you get 'extra' stuff for buying it on release, etc. All designed pull on the rather addictive nature some gamers have, it creates a sense of need/want and a fear of missing out. 

Of course, none of that is happening here as far as I can see. You're simply being given an option to preorder a game (granted you have to pay upfront via Steam as they don't do deposits but will give you a full refund if you change your mind) at a discounted price for already owning the previous year's version. You could, at worse, suggest that SEGA are playing at people's sense of BARGAIN drive, but as others have mentioned you can always cancel if you don't like the way FM18 is shaping up. So, really, in a world where you have Warner Brothers taking the **** with their pre-release marketing and incentives, this offer from SEGA, SIGames and Steam hardly looks sinister at all. 

Of course, you can always wait until Dec/Jan for when the sale discounts come around on Steam. And historically Football Manager gets a pretty hefty discount after release anyway across various sites. There are options, nobody is forcing this upon you or other people. I would like to hear your arguments against it though, and how it is an issue/problem.

[Lobaeux4]

Woke up to this great news! Ordering now!

*update:  ordered and purchased

Edited August 15, 2017 by Lobaeux4

[Sheriff7]

3 minutes ago, John_Yuki said:

Hey man. I've just made this new game. It's really similar to my old game, however the new one is not finished just yet, and I can't tell you anything about it. Please preorder it. 

Of course you wouldn't preorder it. So why then, should companies like SI get away with it? Because they're a big company? It's taking advantage of loyal customers, plain and simple. That's literally the only reason preorders exist. Try to get as much money now before features are released just in case people dislike the look of the new game. The companies will usually throw in something extra, like a discount, or allowing you to play the game early. Games like Call of Duty have their founders edition, or whatever they call it now, where you literally get a crate full of goodies for preordering the game. 

I understand what are you saying and respect it..You can buy it when you see new features,i bought it because i believe in them maybe next years i wont..But really no one ****us....

 

[John_Yuki]

1 minute ago, ChrisNUFC said:

I was referring to a discount for owning the previous year's title. I very much doubt there will be 20% off FIFA 18 for owning FIFA 17, nope you'll be asked to pay the normal £50 or £70 depending on what stupid version you want to buy. 

I'm not denying that people are against the pre-order model, I've been around long enough and worked at various levels of retail and game development to know how drastically the concept of preordering has worked. For those young uns out there, preordering was originally used as a way for shops to gauge how much stock they had to order. Of course that hardly matters now considering digital platforms. 

Publishers have adapted and used preorders and the likes as a psychological means to intice, which they are more than welcome to do - that's their job. To make you want the game. How they do it is up to them, and sadly it's often done in such a way that it is seen as 'anti-consumer'. The fragmenting of content across various retailers as EXCLUSIVE PREORDER DLC, The Day 1 Editions where you get 'extra' stuff for buying it on release, etc. All designed pull on the rather addictive nature some gamers have, it creates a sense of need/want and a fear of missing out. 

Of course, none of that is happening here as far as I can see. You're simply being given an option to preorder a game (granted you have to pay upfront via Steam as they don't do deposits but will give you a full refund if you change your mind) at a discounted price for already owning the previous year's version. You could, at worse, suggest that SEGA are playing at people's sense of BARGAIN drive, but as others have mentioned you can always cancel if you don't like the way FM18 is shaping up. So, really, in a world where you have Warner Brothers taking the **** with their pre-release marketing and incentives, this offer from SEGA, SIGames and Steam hardly looks sinister at all. 

Of course, you can always wait until Dec/Jan for when the sale discounts come around on Steam. And historically Football Manager gets a pretty hefty discount after release anyway across various sites. There are options, nobody is forcing this upon you or other people. I would like to hear your arguments against it though, and how it is an issue/problem.

It is pretty much as you said, it is anti-consumer and just playing with people's "bargain drive". There is absolutely NOTHING in it for the consumer other than £7-8 off or whatever 25% will end up being, as well as playing the game an entire TWO WEEKS EARLY. It is just a cheap marketing gimmick which i severely dislike. I have disliked it for a while now, ever since the "pre order bonuses" started to get way out of hand. Also, when you said "You are simply given an option to preorder a game", that is literally all that preordering if for any game. You can't dislike the way Warner Bros does preorders, or the way FIFA and Call of Duty do preorders, and try to say that SI is doing it any different. They're exactly the same, "preorder now and get these sweet bonuses".  

[HUNT3R]

1 minute ago, John_Yuki said:

Aye, I will do, as I have always done. But as I said, as a paying customer I do believe I should have the right to voice my displeasure over these types of things. I also have the right to free speech as a human being. That is all I am doing. If people want to throw their money at a game they know literally nothing about, then that is their right as it is their money. 

I don't understand why you're so upset about it though? To you, nothing changes. You will wait to hear about features before pre-ordering. The only thing that this does, is enable people to pre-order early. That's all. You're not losing out because you're waiting because the discount expires after feature announcements and those who pre-order before then don't get anything you won't, so I don't see what the big deal is.

[Neil Brock]

7 minutes ago, felipencntst said:

@Neil Brock, another question (and forgive me as I'm noob as hell about this kind of stuff): how can a SEGA approved digital retailer know if I have FM 2017 on Steam?

Pre-release beta access is for users buying from Sega approved retailers - the 25% discount is only available when purchasing via Steam or Sega Store (as there is validation on the site). 

[Spedding]

Well if you pre-order it now and end up not liking the features announced you can simply cancel your pre order 

[John_Yuki]

2 minutes ago, HUNT3R said:

I don't understand why you're so upset about it though? To you, nothing changes. You will wait to hear about features before pre-ordering. The only thing that this does, is enable people to pre-order early. That's all. You're not losing out because you're waiting because the discount expires after feature announcements and those who pre-order before then don't get anything you won't, so I don't see what the big deal is.

Because I find it immoral that companies are allowed to sell a product without actually releasing any details about what that product is. Obviously we know it is Football Manager, and that it is going to be very similar to the previous iteration of the game, but that is it. 

Even kickstarters tell you about the product before you invest your money in to it. 

[Neil Brock]

1 minute ago, John_Yuki said:

It is pretty much as you said, it is anti-consumer and just playing with people's "bargain drive". There is absolutely NOTHING in it for the consumer other than £7-8 off or whatever 25% will end up being, as well as playing the game an entire TWO WEEKS EARLY. It is just a cheap marketing gimmick which i severely dislike. I have disliked it for a while now, ever since the "pre order bonuses" started to get way out of hand. Also, when you said "You are simply given an option to preorder a game", that is literally all that preordering if for any game. You can't dislike the way Warner Bros does preorders, or the way FIFA and Call of Duty do preorders, and try to say that SI is doing it any different. They're exactly the same, "preorder now and get these sweet bonuses".  

There have already been a huge amount of people who have given us feedback suggesting they're happy with the discount offer and the early beta access. You're not and that's fine. You're welcome to your opinion which you've made. We appreciate the feedback. 

[Scrench]

I don't see a problem. If someone wants to pre-order he will, if someone does not then he doesn't. It's their choice, no one is forcing anyone to buy something.

[felipencntst]

3 minutes ago, Neil Brock said:

Pre-release beta access is for users buying from Sega approved retailers - the 25% discount is only available when purchasing via Steam or Sega Store (as there is validation on the site). 

Oh, shoot. I can't buy it via Steam or Sega Store. Is there any workaround? I'm really really interested on the discount (as I have 2015, 2016 and 2017 on Steam), but it isn't available on my region (Brazil).

[talhak]

pre-order is completed as always with pleasure! Now waiting impatiently to play the game!

[MrPompey]

15 minutes ago, John_Yuki said:

Aye, I will do, as I have always done. But as I said, as a paying customer I do believe I should have the right to voice my displeasure over these types of things. I also have the right to free speech as a human being. That is all I am doing. If people want to throw their money at a game they know literally nothing about, then that is their right as it is their money. 

"as a paying customer"......that's irony right there, you aren't a paying customer of FM2018

Its simple really. If you want to take advantage of 25% saving do so

If you don't or have objections then don't. .

For the life of me I can't possibly see how the potential of getting a 25% discount is anti consumer. If you take the time to read what people are telling you then you'll see you can still buy early and get the discount with the knowledge of the features

[John_Yuki]

Just now, Neil Brock said:

There have already been a huge amount of people who have given us feedback suggesting they're happy with the discount offer and the early beta access. You're not and that's fine. You're welcome to your opinion which you've made. We appreciate the feedback. 

I have had discussions about this game's demographic before on the Football Manager subreddit. This game's demographic is not what I would call "hardcore gamers". The people who play this game are mostly people who have full-time jobs, are parents, have lots of family commitments, and so on. Just getting the game every year is something they look forward to, because at the end of the day, they don't care about is in the game as long as they have the latest one. I have seen this first hand with my dad when he buys the latest Call of Duty each year as soon as it releases. He is not a "hardcore" gamer, or regular gamer, he is just happy to get the game, regardless of what features are in it or not. These types of players tend not to get involved too much with discussing features. They just think "oh yay the new game released I'll preorder it now so I can play it before anyone else". 

Then you have the "hardcore" gamers, or "regular" gamers, whatever you want to call them. These are the people who get actively involved in these types of discussion, where they will voice their displeasure over the game, get in to debates on forums about it (cough cough), and actually criticise parts of the game they dislike. I'm not saying you should listen to me more than someone else, but I really think you should listen to criticism more than you listen to praise. 

[BayernMB]

28 minutes ago, John_Yuki said:

That is exactly what I will do. But as a paying customer I am voicing my displeasure over the way these preorders are being done, as is my right. If you are fine with letting game companies own you like this, then that is your right too, as it is your money you are potentially throwing away on something you might not even like.

Well untill you buy the game you are not a customer. And you don't have to buy it untill more features are announced.

[John_Yuki]

1 minute ago, MrPompey said:

For the life of me I can't possibly see how the potential of getting a 25% discount is anti consumer. if you take to read what people are telling you then you'll see you can still buy early and get the discount with the knowledge of the features

Because whilst you're getting £7-£8 off the game, which is great, you're still paying like £25-£30 for the game. I think you are being blinded by this fact. You see "early access" and "25% discount" and instantly think of it as a good thing, when in fact, you're still paying upwards of £25 for a game you know nothing about. Yes I know you can cancel the preorder at a later date, but I am against preorders in the gaming industry as a whole, not just for FM.