Het is nog maar enkele weken geleden dat Jan je de review van FIFA Manager 14 gaf. Het blijkt nu dat dit de laatste editie is in de franchise. Gerald Köhler, grote baas bij de studio Bright Future (en verantwoordelijk voor de games), heeft in een brief aangegeven waarom tot dit besluit gekomen is. Zo staat er dat dit genre games vooral gespeeld blijkt te worden in Engeland en Duitsland. Dat zijn net twee landen waar een andere titel in het genre boven FIFA Manager uitsteekt. Hij lijkt te doelen op Football Manager, een game die wij recentelijk ook een hogere score gaven. Daarnaast zijn er naast de beperkte markt en het succes van Fotball Manager ook de concurrerende platformen zoals je mobiele telefoon, tablet en consoles.
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.
Kind regards and all the best,
Gerald Köhler
