How the Football Manager franchise made millions | BBC News

Football Manager was a hit that broke records as one of the five fastest-selling PC games ever when it was released in November 2004.
Since then, the series putting players in charge of running a football club has continued to grow, with last year's game played by six million people.
But it has changed dramatically since the 2000s. Little circles bouncing about on a green rectangle have become a fully-fledged 3D simulation, which gamers often boast (or bemoan) getting lost in for hundreds of hours each year.
With the release of the 20th game in the Football Manager series, the BBC spoke to Sports Interactive, the studio behind the game, about how the fan favourite has evolved.
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[@profamitgupta]

I have lost a few years playing this game. Though I stopped playing in 2015, this is still my all time favourite game.

[@tchugra]

Fm'15 was the peak. Good times.

[@karookpoto5215]

The most addictive game ever

[@happyjonn9242]

I got so good at this game they offered me a role in the England set-up. I took Woking from the conference to the champions league in 6 seasons, that kind of stuff doesn't go unnoticed.

[@jamesirvine9541]

Ok jay

[@ZPSBestProfileName]

Doing well in FM is over qualified for the England job

[@Dorgpoop]

​@@jamesirvine9541He's completed it mate

[@joliecide]

Heard you completed the game in 3 hours Jay...

[@jordy786]

FM is too easy. Its not realistic. Players have been asking for difficulty levels since years where at highest the AI does a much better job

[@karookpoto5215]

This game is sooo real. And you can create wonderful stories and memories. Started with fm12, Barcelona. 4 years unbeaten in la liga. Left for Tottenham hotspur, almost got sacked but finished 5th. Three points from first. The gap between 5th and 6th was more than double 1st and 5th. Left after one year to inter milan. Won serie a. Left to coach brazil after one year. Fm13, started unemployed. Took 18th position newcastle to 3rd position. Bought firminho and so players. Won the league on the last day. Took newcastle to the ucl quarterfinals where we lost to Barcelona 6-5 aggregate. SAF retires, expressed interest. Board of newcastle were angry, i had to apologize. But still left for Manchester United. Everything i face them i was booed.... Fun memories.

[@johndriscollphotography3121]

I was playing Championship Manager (the former guise of FM) back in 92-94, right at the end of my GCSEs and right the way through A-Levels and University. So it was way before 2004, take note BBC!

[@Lakedistrictrider]

Same. Great game on the Amiga

[@jonathanwhicher7866]

Same here too. And CM Italia 94/95, when Serie A was the best

[@pforson]

Came here to say exactly this. It‘s not 20 years, more like 30! Long live Champ Man 93!

[@mattyno964]

Champ Man 95 (maybe?) Came free with a newspaper iirc, possibly the Times. That's how I remember it anyway

[@tptk6659]

I remember having both champ man and football manager the first year of the split. Chelsea got bought over and had soo much money. Good times. And it was 20 years ago. Do not forget the disaster that Eidos had with that game and how they fell off the map.

[@GIBBO4182]

You can lose days…not hours, playing Football Manager

[@felix4321ful]

Days??? More like months 😂😂😂

[@thebillbo]

Pretty sure I've lost months or years into it at this point. 😂

[@Bluearmy76]

I lost an entire 6 weeks school holiday with Championship Manager 93😂 Halcyon days…

[@thebillbo]

@@Bluearmy76 CM99/00 was the first one I tried, added Zidane to Utd's treble winning team. 😁

[@kaybastian1389]

time to change your underwear

[@MR-NAGAH]

Football manager? Completed it. Was so good at it they offered me a role in the England set-up. Took Woking from conference to the champions league in 6 seasons. That kind of stuff doesnt go unnoticed.

[@zinematicgamingrpg]

Yesterday I argued with my cousin for two hours that Xavi Frances played for Arsenal . Tunrs out there's no Xavi Frances that we know of and I was just thinking about my FM08 save

[@ricardomeijer7164]

😂

[@spoenk7448]

Club legend

[@DontAttme]

Could’ve sworn Emiliano Zuñiga was the greatest Colombian forward to ever light up the camp nou…

[@raithrover1976]

Football Manager is a great game for those who's sole hobby is playing it. I stopped playng a couple of years ago because it was monopolising my free time too much 😂

[@Jbkeditz]

😂😂😂

[@karookpoto5215]

So addictive, and can get you so emotionally invested. I can't count how many times I nearly smashed my laptops

[@MDroid-bn6eb]

Anatoli Todorov, Daniel Braathen, Evandro Roncatto, Alessio Cerci, Toledo… absolute legends.

[@theauldscientist]

Viktor Leonenko, To Madeira, Bismark, Andri Sigporsson, Cherno Samba, Jardel, Ibrahima Bakayoko, Maxim Tsigalko. The list is endless, I think Football Manager (and previously, Championship Manager before the name change) has been one of the only constants in my life!

[@darthmaul408]

Christian Castaneda in the 97 version. A sweeper who could get you 15 goals per season.

[@RuliManurung]

Ivica Mornar! (although this is from the earlier Championship Manager days, I played CM from '95 through to '98 but never got back into FM)

[@BadgerOff32]

@@theauldscientist Ah, Cherno Samba. The OG legend! I remember that Millwall team he came from in Champ Manager. It was stacked with bargains! Obviously there was the 16 year old Cherno, they had a young Tim Cahill, Richard Sadlier was a bargain priced goal machine, and Steven Reid could play literally anywhere on the pitch (except goal). He was the best player in the game to have sitting on the bench lol. The other legends I'd add from that era would be Mark Kerr, Taribo West and Julius Aghahowa. Oh and Kim Kallstrom.

[@WOD-iy6dg]

I always bought Daniel Bierofka😃 @@theauldscientist

[@jamiehurst759]

Championship Manager 0304 still has a place in my heart.

[@randyschwaggins]

When i was in my 20s i had an xbox and i played Fifa, Halo, Splinter Cell and FM religiously. Im in my 40s now...i havent had a console for 15 years...but i still play FM on my laptop. Its a game that will never get old.

[@MannyThaMadridista]

man I start playing football manager 2012 and never looked back. what I love about this game is you live in your own world I spend hours in each edition I bought.

[@SirWolfKing]

Use to play fifa career mode since I can remember, making realistic signings, writing down player status, tracking my profits and lose 😂 then I stumbled across fm, and realize I was playing the wrong game. Bought my first fm game, which was 2019 and haven't looked back, truly amazing company and game !

[@philthatcher6111]

LMA manager was the daddy for me back in the day. Championship manager deserves a great shout too! Years of my youth wasted on management games.

[@johnbarry1965]

Mine was Premier Manager on the Amiga, Cheltenham Town Into the premier league, totally addictive xx

[@philthatcher6111]

@@johnbarry1965 That's awesome, never had the chance to play them as a kid.

[@johnbarry1965]

@@philthatcher6111 I played about 40 seasons!!

[@TweedleDean]

I think I first played in 2006 or so. Fond memories of managing clubs such as Stockport and Port Vale way back then. As a Canadian I'm still not exactly sure where those places are. 🥴

[@bryanbadonde9484]

Stockport is just to the East of Manchester and Port Vale are based in Stoke-on-Trent, which is halfway between Birmingham and Manchester and nowhere near the sea!

[@samwiseshanti]

Tbf I'm British and if half of the places here's I've only heard of via football 😂

[@Christian_Gems]

Championship manager 2, CM2 was my first ❤

[@sleepparalysisdemon6]

Lma was mine

[@mr.bojangles4704]

Yes it was the catalyst

[@josuecurty6415]

The best versions of Championship Manager, are CM 01/02 and CM 03/04. The best versions of Football Manager, are FM 05 and FM 08.

[@shogi_gunjin]

Started with CM/98/99 ... My absolute fav was 03/04 but then I skipped quite a few ( I think I had 2006-2011-2015-2020) And now I am on 2022... I saw the demo for 2023 but can't say the game gaved me the impression it's fast improving. Some weird but funny ideas were on FM 2011 ( you could actually buy a club with you earnings and be a bit more free on the decision without the board blocking everything... and adjust the tickets price, choose sponsors etc. These options went missing and it would be nice to have them back !

[@kaybastian1389]

i never knew there is option like that, yes we need to them back, i dont know what to do with my earning

[@shogi_gunjin]

@@kaybastian1389 you could also buy real estate and get some income from it. There were an option that you had (or build) a family and your kid could join the youth team (I never really played with it tbh). You also had more youth teams (u12-u14-u-16 etc... Can't remember the exact categories) Also you could build detection camps in whatever country you'd want and it was an interesting way to have regens from exotic places. The management side and tactics where pretty bad in that opus but these options where pretty fun.

[@johnnyc5765]

03/04!! The best ever absolutely.

[@kaybastian1389]

@@johnnyc5765 that before they divorce with eidos right?

[@davehanson1578]

They never, ever had any options like that. You have never had 'personal earnings' that you could spend. Not sure what game you are thinking of but 100% it ain't Football Manager

[@BrokenNoseChris]

Fantastically addictive game that I’ve played so many versions of - but it’s pretty much the exact same every year

[@MalcolmRose-l3b]

Exactly. Wait five or ten years between purchases and you'll see some meaningful changes but buying FM22, then FM23 etc and you just get a new iteration of essentially the same game. I go back to FM14 every so often and play for a few days but what I've seen of the newer versions doesn't appeal much.

[@hugoboss917]

Next year women teams will come. This where most money will be spent

[@MalcolmRose-l3b]

@@hugoboss917 All the more reason not to buy FM24 if you already have FM23 (or 20, 21, 22....).

[@jordy786]

​@@hugoboss917Lets see if many people will actually play women's football..

[@rbfishcs123]

its a yearly release - what do you expect ya knob head?

[@Vinyboyful]

So basically Sega is doing great with this game, That's the reason why I like Sega.

[@manephewlenny6401]

First game I played was Championship Manager 93/94 Italia Demo with Brian Laudrup in a purple Fiorentina shirt in the background image for Amiga 500. Think that was before Miles came. The best game for me was Championship Manager 2 on the PC, the step-up from any other management game was INSANE. Before that it was Sensible World of Soccer for all my management fun.

[@Nava4Gamingz]

Because this game is bloody good. 🎉🎉🎉

[@FPSPRINCESS]

I played this since the early 90s when it was Championship Manager and marketed by Domark on the Amiga

[@alastairjones0]

Mark Collis & Ferah Orosco

[@FPSPRINCESS]

@@alastairjones0 long before tonton zola mukoko

[@BeardiusMaximus]

I remember buying an Amiga 500 just so I could play an early version of Championship Manager when I was still at school. Had to save nearly 3 months of paper round money IIRC

[@az-rule84]

I rmember playing this game on fm19, i managed fc united of manchester. From vanatama north to epl champions in 9 seasons. Then on fm23, i managed perlis united from malaysia leagues, then move to vernamo, rosemborg, midtjilland, then to sporting, schalke, real madrid and finally to manchester united. What a journeyman save

[@nozrul10]

I put my football manager career in my CV as job experience.

[@doughnutdoney997]

An amazing series of games the last ones only had small differences per year though but the game is getting a total revamp look in 2025.

[@UtenFm]

now I still play FM2005 it simple

[@EclecticTV-iq1cz]

i have been playing football manager/championship manager since 1998/1999. i am a hall of famer an undisputed. iv won it all from top to bottom. I AM HIM

[@davidmcnaboe]

1:54 the guy celebrated a goal against himself 😂😂

[@Popjaksound]

Do love FM, but the SortitoutSI community is also a massively important part of why the games are so good.

[@PremixedRyanHD]

Football manager is my fav game and it has potential to become even better

[@bhchen3079]

It all started with Championship Manager !! CM2 to CM4

[@OurLou]

Always have nostalgia playing this as a kid with me dad championship manager was a blast 🤩

[@SoccerChampionship442]

I've been playing this since Championship Manager 2

[@Tremuska]

For those who wonders what is motion matching. Compare AC2 vs Unity. Ubisoft pioneered this technology. It is real time AI generated realistic animations. Last of us 2 is peaking at this. I am a game dev trying to understand what made football manager so addictive.

[@MrMmnngghh]

Twentieth anniversary, eh? So the first glorious decade of Championship Manager has been airbrushed from history. Sounds like the time the Premier League invented football in the summer of 1992.

[@joejohnson8789]

It's a legal issue, when SI split from Eidos Interactive they lost the rights to the name and branding of Championship Manager. So legally FM has only existed since 2003

[@m.awadsyahid2392]

The moment you are being too attached to a regen... God, I miss Antonio Dandic so much

[@DBKarel]

Nothing beats CM 2001/2002 though 😢

[@KoleBlackwood]

I came here to say that! Truer words have never been spoken... 👍

[@spoenk7448]

I'm still mad they stole €10 from me. I bought a FM Mobile in app purchase that wouldn't restore after reinstalling the game. Customer service was useless. I have since stopped buying the games. My first game was Championship Manager 00/01

[@Ikataale]

On Mobile phone was exciting

[@anab0lic]

championship manager is still the goat...

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

That's how little they update the games, you can just transfer the saves cause the only thing new are the rosters.

[@SmallSilverDay]

I run a Football Manager game channel in Korea. Not a single woman watches my videos. I don't understand why they are making news like this.

[@Popjaksound]

Nice to see Angelos still knocking about.

[@harrierjames7727]

Epithemiou?

[@StratsRUs]

The BBC don't do adverts.

[@SadGamingCat]

Completed it mate

[@ionutbalta6607]

Wtf is up with the bots here jessus christ.

[@goweresque]

Who else remembers the Football Manager game from the 80s, available on just about all the home computers of the time? I must have spent weeks playing that on my BBC micro. In fact I think I still have the cassette tape somewhere........

[@lifeisforlivingfullstop9113]

Yes, had it on the Spectrum in the 80s, so basic but such a great game at that time

[@johnbarry1965]

The one with Kevin Toms on the cover? Played it on the Commodore 64, great in the day!!

[@TigonOlogdring]

@@lifeisforlivingfullstop9113Same here! Spent hours on it...

[@yuvarajricflairwwf]

Electronic systems which includes sound systems and channel music , electronic panels , etc

[@craigbradley4815]

Don't forget its origins... Championship Manager!

[@MDroid-bn6eb]

3:27 Limbu means “Your Mother” in Taiwanese. 😂😂

[@siblingschannelyah9909]

fm took years from my life but loved it , theres times i forgot to eat , i had to stop playing i was losing my family and weight im 15 years clean

[@ervangw23a]

first time play fm in 2005

[@Kody807]

20.000 videos Happy Days 🎉🎉🎉

[@shelgh]

I've been playing since '98! my favorite type of game

[@TSGAMINGCEO]

My first game was Championship Football Manager in 1998.

[@silvermig]

"You are only in this planet once". Spend all life playing Football Manager.

[@RuthlessMetalYT]

This would be my dream job. :D Must have played these games 30.000 hours or something since 1996 when it was called Championship Manager. haha

[@Omarabashe]

The title is misleading, because the discussions were mostly centred around the evolution of the game, rather making money.

[@JKM110]

Comfortably my favourite ever game now. Started from Championship Manager 99/00 and played every iteration since. Used to be neck and neck with PES until that died. 2D pitches forever!! 😂😂

[@danielvaega]

Sports Interactive = 10/10

[@darksun3525]

Anyone remember ‘Champions” on the Dragon 32? That was where it’s at.. I’ve lost too much time on PES 2020 on the PS4 too 🙈

[@mattm.2591]

Nice public relations piece. I hope that the 25 game is a significant step up as it's gone downhill in many ways over the last several years.

[@yutanarkavich]

cm 03-04 still the best verstion of all time

[@Jayvees]

I bought four Football Manager games, and I played over 420 hours for all of it combined.

[@CaeserOct]

Proposal to make Nic Madden the head of development for FM25 and rename it Madden Football.

[@damianclark550]

Kids play FIFA, Men play Championship Manager

[@andrewrio]

This thing is so addictive

[@jaycookie4788]

This game is the reason we all think our names are ‘Jurgen pep-Jose shankly-Clough Ferguson..

[@seuden]

The best FM was FM 2 for the Amstrad CPC. Lost so much time playing that belter.

[@karlbradshaw3825]

This is going to look so funny in 10 years

[@mcp3187]

It would be a good game if Fagoil who was banned from football for a year for gambling didn't ask for a better contract and half the team is upset when i refuse and start losing afterward. Instant delete.

[@3082frank]

Can someone please tell me if football manager allows you to watch the full game with players or does it change to text again...(which is still frustrating in FM

[@seekerofsense]

I played this game from 2001 to 2021. It's only when I stopped playing that I got married and had kids. It's amazing how much escapism this game offers and how it can be harmful to the social life

[@MrDavie19891]

Bringing Bury to the Prem

[@jayleeds3]

I think this was an advert for introducing women’s football into FM, rather than how they made millions from the game

[@SyYoung-ni1wl]

Benny Hill considered funnier than Monty Python by two TV stations--WOR and WLVI.

[@dukesb]

A great game, but wrong to say it started 20 years ago. It was originally championship manager which started in the 90s. Also they hardly change the game anymore, it's just a cash grab at this point like so many other games

[@CLulk]

Benny Hill considered funnier than Monty Python by two TV stations--WOR and WLVI!

[@alvaromendes1099]

CADE OS BR QUE COMEÇARAM NO ELIFOOT E CONTRATAVAM O MÁRCIO MIXIRICA NO MOGI MIRIM PRA SUBIR DE DIVISÃO E TROCAR PELO ROMÁRIO DEPOIS?

[@AndreasDimitriou-d9d]

I got a manager job in low league form this game and i am good at it

[@carterhunt548]

Football manager is one of my favorite games from Sega. the others being Yakuza 5 and sonic generations.

[@KingsOfRugby]

Just lost 4-0 to Liverpool and this comes up in my recommended

[@AnimefreakHQ]

the bots are really making it too obvious

[@supernatural_forces]

Lol! Anyways, I would say apart from daily current affairs, entertainment, jokes, science (study of a Process), mainstream narratives, propaganda, lies, etcetera if you're interested in Theology, Purpose of Life, Reason for Creation/ Existence then you should have a look at this - First thing which should be considered is that THERE has to be one Absolute Truth/ Objective Reality (100%) [regardless of what different scientists, ph.ds, doctors, philosophers, societies, religions, cultures, individuals, etcetera believe]. The rest could be categorised as either - 1.) Some Truth with some Falsehood mixed in it (no matter in what ratio/ percentage it is in) or 2.) Complete Falsehood/ Delusion (100% Wrong). Its something like this - [If Analogy is to be used our Body is like a Hardware of the Computer and our Soul is like a Software. Just as Computer's Hardware is Useless without a Software, similarly, a Body is also Useless /Lifeless without a Soul.] We go through 5 Phases in our Life :- 1. The Realm (outside of this material Universe) where we took an oath & chose to be granted free will and want to be get Tested (The Testimony of believing in Only One God by our soul), 2. In our mother's womb (9 months) - The soul is breathed into the body, which gets created from a single molecule through a unique DNA🧬 (An Instruction Manual/ A Program/ Code) fashioned/ programmed by Creator. And, as the soul enters a body that's from where our consciousness and conscience comes (it happens with a lightning speed i.e. in a fraction of a second which Scientists/ Doctors couldn't able to capture it), 3. On Earth 🌎 (On an average of about 60-70 years) [Commencement of Test with the Development of Conscience], 4. In the Grave (The time frame from our death till the Day of Judgment/ Resurrection) & 5. In Paradise or Hell (Eternal Life). All are Temporary except after the Resurrection. So, the consciousness in brain 🧠 gets activated when soul enters the body & through soul the conscience (sense of right and wrong) of heart gets activated (including feelings like joy, peace, pain, anger, etc.).

[@revolver_84]

Trust the BBC to have a 5 min video about a football video game that is 99.9% only played by males and they spend 2 minutes talking about women's football and pretty much don't go into any depth at all about the game at all. I learned NOTHING from this video. Waste of my time, just like BBC News

[@LittleLoz]

100% of stats are made up.

[@SmallSilverDay]

Good point. This is fishing.

[@yungak9123]

It’s almost impossible to play now you have to have Netflix or pay Apple Arcade monthly It’s ridiculous

[@mrmomokar]

This Nic Madden guy is my best CB in my Arsenal save 😂 Also, he got a Celtic jersey on his chair and my Nic Madden is coming from the Celtic academy too😂 I'm dead 😂

[@RacingAtHome]

There are some name in the game people. Wouldn't surprise me if he's set to be generated from the Celtic academy.

[@crl_polishman6597]

Devs are put in the game as regens through their favourite clubs youth systems I'm pretty sure

[@onose10000]

I have doubts Miles actually plays this game after FM15

[@James-ju4gj]

Wait! Lemme guess.... they produce a quality game at a good price with no DLC/skins/gambling crates in sight. Their scouting network is used by IRL clubs for recruitment, such is their scope and accuracy. Played every one since fm 2012, they only get better.

[@jiyefuuu]

We all complain so much but then theres no better alternative

[@bojack3827]

Are the Collyer brothers still involved with the game, or did they sell the business?

[@gerrardlee3324]

Is the studio manager Miles Jacobson been played by Harry Enfield 😅

[@agentg11]

I had a corrupted file save after 30 years of gametime managing here

[@feyisholaogunko9340]

Still prefer the 2D version

[@darrenwright2024]

Wish I had the time to play these days

[@tptk6659]

Completed it 😋

[@aginbayu]

Still the best game alongside with GTA franchise

[@pushon10]

My brother is obsessed.

[@boris8787]

For obvious reasons nobody in my town plays that game. ⛔⛔⛔

[@Daniel-td3ke]

What are you on about?

[@iraf.official]

2023.

[@XxElJefe]

Fix your translation error stop avoiding it