It's an event that regulars wouldn't miss for anything in the world. Every autumn for twenty years, Sports Interactive has launched its management simulation. Football Manager 2024 will therefore arrive in its final version on November 6 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox, Xbox Game Pass, Switch and mobile. New this year, this version of the game will also be available to all Netflix subscribers. After several hours spent on the beta version of this new opus, here is what we thought of it.
Improved AI
Fans of Football Manager know that the game gets better every year. Some new features hit the mark, while others don't do much good, even deteriorate the experience, and end up being abandoned. In this 2024 edition, the developers have made some very well-thought-out changes.
We are thinking in particular of in-depth work on the artificial intelligence of opposing teams. It's quite subtle, and you only notice it after several hours of play. However, we can see that our rivals are making fewer mistakes than in the past.
Thus, in a game with OM, we noted that our Ligue 1 rivals adapted after a few months to exploit the tactical flaws of my team. By working, however, we can propose some variations of playing styles and replicate.
Sports Interactive also affirms that our opponents have a little more confidence in the young people at the training center than in the past. We didn't necessarily notice it in the beta, but it would take a little more time in the game to see it more clearly. In any case, we noted that the AI organized a rotation in its compositions more often than it did before.
More realistic transfers
Always in the register of good news, we appreciated the new interactions with agents and player intermediaries. In previous editions, these options seemed of little use to us, but here, they can unblock a situation or move a file forward more quickly. They can also make life difficult for you if you try to keep a talent.
This makes the offseasons even more exciting. So much so that we can regret that Sports Interactive does not create a sports director mode, where we would be in charge of the recruitment and training policy of a club in the long term, without managing training or matches.
A modest change to the graphics engine
In Football Manager 2024, the developers have somewhat changed the way players behave when viewing matches. Let's say it from the outset, this is not a major change. The engine still seems quite dated, and the actions that lead to goals or chances look similar.
We can nevertheless salute the efforts made on the lighting and visuals of certain stadiums. In this regard, we will have to wait until 2025 to see major changes, since Sports Interactive has announced a switch to the new Unity engine.
During our games, we were also able to notice certain slight bugs: texts which appear in English, in the French version for example, or even photos of players which do not correspond. But it was indeed a beta version, and the developers are working hard to correct these small problems between now and the official launch.
A great development, but not a revolution
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As we will have understood, Football Manager 2024 offers great developments which make the games even more pleasant and immersive. They are more numerous than in the 2023 edition which had evolved relatively little.
However, this is not a revolution in this management game which has not habit of shaking up its foundations. Football Manager 2025 should, however, be a turning point in the history of the saga with the introduction of a new graphics engine and the arrival of women's football. In the meantime, players will have plenty of time to give free rein to their talent and enjoy this excellent football simulation.