EA Sports cancels FIFA Manager series after 13 years

Some sad news to report for all of you FIFA Manager fans out there. The franchise founder, Gerald Köhler, has announced that FIFA Manager 14 will be the last title in the long running Football management simulator series. According to Kotaku, the past couple years have seen FIFA Manager falling second best to Sega's popular Football Manager series. But why exactly has the once epic PC-based simulator fallen so far from grace? According to Köhler, it's due to a lack of next-generation tools and software. 

The FIFA Manager franchise has reached a crossroads, in which a new engine and updated technology is required to "bring it into the next generation." Unfortunately, Köhler and his team do not feel that the necessary costs required to upgrade these tools would produce a profit. This is most likely due to the fact that Football management simulators are within a very niche market, appealing to only a subset of football fans. 

But even with a lack of funding, and the series coming to end, Köhler is still urging individuals to continue playing previously released titles and is inviting fansites and developers to do whatever they can with the franchise. He spoke the following concerning the future of the simulator:

"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."

You can still get your fix by playing Football Manager, but to some die hard fans it's just not going to be the same. Hopefully we will see someone else pick up the FIFA Manager legacy and run with it. Perhaps it will take another dedicated company to breathe new life into the series. As of now, though, FIFA Manager ends at 14.