Electronic Arts Kills FIFA Manager Franchise

[Andy Chalk]

Electronic Arts Kills FIFA Manager Franchise

Electronic Arts says the "football manager genre" is too niche and too dominated by another game to continue.

As a loyal Canadian whose foremost sporting allegiance is to the one in which burly, club-wielding men in full body armor inflict horrific violence upon one another on a surface of frozen water (and occasionally bat at a little piece of frozen rubber), I have no idea if this news out of EA Sports counts as good news or bad. But it is, at least amongst the English and German readers out there, news: EA's FIFA Manager 14 will be the last installment in the series.

"The football manager genre at this level of sophistication is highly specialized 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," FIFA Manager designer Gerald Köhler explained. "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."

Köhler declined to name the "one game" that's put the boots to FIFA Mananger but Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-25-ea-admits-defeat-to-football-manager] pegged it as Sport Interactive's Football Manager, perhaps not the most creatively-named game of all time but one that's actually been used in the past by real-life football (which is to say, soccer) clubs as a scouting tool. FIFA Manager has been around for more than a decade, but that's a tough reference to beat.

"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," Köhler wrote. "For all your years of support and all your passion for our game, we thank you."

Source: FIFA Manager [http://www.fifa-manager.com/home/blog/blog-article/n/News/show/offener-brief-von-gerald/]


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[Erttheking]

He says online and mobile games are killing it. I think he's BSing on that one, pretty sure it's Football Manager, JUST Football Manager I mean.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

...Don't the Console FIFA's have Team Management and all that? :/

 

[Vivi22]

He says online and mobile games are killing it. I think he's BSing on that one, pretty sure it's Football Manager, JUST Football Manager I mean.

Yeah, that statement is clearly a load of shit. They just don't want to throw their hands up and say "okay guys, that's it. Sega beat us."

 

[FoolKiller]

Umm... maybe its niche because they never released it stateside. Have they considered that if you only release your product in limited locations, then there will only be limited returns?

 

[FogHornG36]

that's not football...

I didn't even know they had a fifa manager game, im sure it wasn't a vary good simulation, no riots, and no fans putting refs to death.

 

[Colt47]

*Looks at the box...

"Who BUYS you?" o o;

This is the question that goes through my head whenever I see anything involving the words "Manager" or "Simulator".

 

[CriticalMiss]

Hopefully they release Fifa Linesman 2014, a next gen title that lets you step in to the uniform of a real Fifa linesman and officiate on matches. Or Fifa Pie Salesman, peddle your overpriced and sub-standard pies to drunk football fans who won't know any better. Sausages inna bun will be DLC.

 

[Bug MuIdoon]

I used to enjoy Football management games back in the 90's, when there was a clear distinction between a game where you played football and one where you managed it, but that line became blurred in the the 00's when FIFA and PES started incorporating both in to one package. I can still see the difference with these specific games, but I agree the demographic they cater too nowadays is pretty niche when you can do the majority of the enjoyable/understandable management on any football game. That's clearly what killed the game, not the online/mobile crap that's stated.

 

[Xan Krieger]

Managing soccer does sound about as niche as truck driving simulators, I'm sure most people would rather play soccer than manage all the paperwork behind it.

Also I'm sure a football managing game would sell well, look at the success of fantasy football.

Also to make the article less confusing

Spoiler

Electronic Arts Kills FIFA Manager Franchise

Electronic Arts says the "soccer manager genre" is too niche and too dominated by another game to continue.

As a loyal Canadian whose foremost sporting allegiance is to the one in which burly, club-wielding men in full body armor inflict horrific violence upon one another on a surface of frozen water (and occasionally bat at a little piece of frozen rubber), I have no idea if this news out of EA Sports counts as good news or bad. But it is, at least amongst the English and German readers out there, news: EA's FIFA Manager 14 will be the last installment in the series.

"The soccer manager genre at this level of sophistication is highly specialized 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," FIFA Manager designer Gerald Köhler explained. "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."

Köhler declined to name the "one game" that's put the boots to FIFA Mananger but Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-25-ea-admits-defeat-to-football-manager] pegged it as Sport Interactive's Soccer Manager, perhaps not the most creatively-named game of all time but one that's actually been used in the past by real-life soccer clubs as a scouting tool. FIFA Manager has been around for more than a decade, but that's a tough reference to beat.

"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," Köhler wrote. "For all your years of support and all your passion for our game, we thank you."

Source: FIFA Manager [http://www.fifa-manager.com/home/blog/blog-article/n/News/show/offener-brief-von-gerald/]


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[seule]

As part of the "niche" Fifa manager was always subpar, by a long way. EA tried to make a game that could cover it's poor simulation by looking pretty. Football management is sadly one thing in which good graphics will never make the game.

Football Manager isn't perfect, but it is dominant in the niche, by a long long way, and gets pirated a lot too lol.

 

[Aris Khandr]

Umm... maybe its niche because they never released it stateside. Have they considered that if you only release your product in limited locations, then there will only be limited returns?

FIFA Manager 11, 12, 13, and 14 are on the Origin store. I imagine they got released at retail as well, but I haven't actually looked at the PC section of a retail store since 2009, so I couldn't say for sure.

 

[el derpenburgo]

ITT: people who have zero interest in soccer and have no idea what they're talking about

 

[Storm Dragon]

^ then ^ again: I love how this guy copies Xan Krieger's avatar and promptly gets himself permabanned.

On a more relevant note: Man, I bet hundreds of thousands of people are burning EA CEOs in effigy over this. Y'know, in addition to all the usual reasons for doing so.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

^ then ^ again: I love how this guy copies Xan Krieger's avatar and promptly gets himself permabanned.

On a more relevant note: Man, I bet hundreds of thousands of people are burning EA CEOs in effigy over this. Y'know, in addition to all the usual reasons for doing so.

Actually that is the official Escapist permabanned avatar. Xan Kriger is the one who copied it.

I also remember a time when quite a few Pub-Club pulled a stunt where they mimicked being banned, with the correct font and link to the (then defunct and bot infested) Warcry forums.

As for the article, all I can say is 'that nothing of value was lost.'

 

[Drummodino]

*Looks at the box...

"Who BUYS you?" o o;

This is the question that goes through my head whenever I see anything involving the words "Manager" or "Simulator".

Back in the day I logged over 180 hours into Football Manager 09. They can be strangely addicting games.

One of my old school friends has played every game in the series since 08 or something. He usually clocks about 1000 hours in each game before the next comes out. I don't understand how he doesn't get bored, I guess he really likes the sport.

 

[RandV80]

...Don't the Console FIFA's have Team Management and all that? :/

If you're someone looking for management simulation the standard EA games are pretty limited.

I'm into hockey, not soccer, but I'd imagine this is a big old meh from football fans. Football Manager does the job for them and when you're into this sort of thing you really only need one simulator. You can take EA at face value here, it really isn't worth it for them to try to compete in this small market. And for the FM fans that's likely a good thing, as EA is far more likely to pull some 'embrace, expand, exterminate' stunt with the genre. Something like "we invested all this money to beat FM into a bloody pulp, but now we've decided the genre just doesn't make any money so we're giving it the axe'.

And then you have nothing.

 

[Yopaz]

that's not football...

I didn't even know they had a fifa manager game, im sure it wasn't a vary good simulation, no riots, and no fans putting refs to death.

You kick a ball. With your foot. How is that not football?

OT: This might just be the first time I have paid attention to the fact that FIFA Manager exists, I have probably heard about it before, but I've never really given a shit. Football Manager (which also has the same acronym) on the other hand is well known, it's a niche market with annual releases from two companies. I'm not sure people need two each year.

 

[Deludedfool]

I live in the UK and Football Manager is always one of the most played games by my friends on Steam, Who each usually have 100's of hours on each.

I haven't played FIFA manager for years now but based on the last one I played it doesn't hold a candle to Football manager.

 

[Reed Spacer]

that's not football...

I didn't even know they had a fifa manager game, im sure it wasn't a vary good simulation, no riots, and no fans putting refs to death.

'Football' is called soccer here.