It’s like clockwork: another year, another Football Manager game on the verge of releasing. For fan’s of the series, they must be feeling like its the night before their birthday. This year, Football Manager 2023 is expanding its footprint, launching on PlayStation 5 and Apple Arcade for the first time. That’s right, after being absent last year the Touch version is back! Of course, there’s approximately a million other versions launching (okay, that’s an exaggeration, there are three others).
Football Manager 2023 promises to brings closer to every aspect of the game, from supporters in the stands to scouts, players, operation managers, and licensed competitions. Newly-licensed competitions include UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Europa Conference League. More information is promised in the coming month via the game’s social media channels. The four versions are for PC, console, mobile, and touch devices.
While reading the press release for the game, I started laughing hysterically. And here’s why: there’s a paragraph that states, “Fans purchasing physical copies of FM23 will notice that this year’s edition does not include a disc. Instead, every pack contains a unique code that, once redeemed, enables play via Steam, Epic Games or the Microsoft Store.” I cannot emphasize this enough: the “physical release” for PC isn’t actually a physical release, it’s a digital code. The freaking audacity to call it a physical copy is astounding.
To prevent any confusion, the versions of the game are:
- Football Manager 2023 (PC)
- Football Manager 2023 Console (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Xbox One)
- Football Manager 2023 Mobile (iOS, Android)
- Football Manager 2023 Touch (Nintendo Switch, Apple Arcade)
That’s right, there’s even overlap in there with iOS/Apple Arcade. While I appreciate that the game is being tailored for different platforms, this is just… it doesn’t make much sense.
Developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega, all versions of Football Manager 2023 will be released on November 8.
Release of Football Manager 2023 for PlayStation 5 has been postponed. For the PS5 version of the game, a confirmed release date has sadly not been announced.