14 DAY TRIAL // Football Manager 2013 is one of the most addictive video games launched during 2012, but the main developer working on the football simulation says that the quality of the experience can be improved in the future even more.
Mile Jacobson, the leader of Sports Interactive, tells MCV that, “FM13 was our highest reviewed game for some time - 87 on Metacritic - but it's still not where we want to be, which is 90. There's no reason why a triple-A PC title, which we are, shouldn't be competing with a triple-A console title.”
The community of players that buys and enjoys the FM series is well known for its sharp critical eye and for constantly requesting new features and balance changes from developer Sports Interactive.
Despite the lower than expected Metacritic score, Football Manager 2013 has managed to significantly increase its overall sales.
Jacobson adds, “In a year where the market is down almost everywhere, we're significantly up, double digit up on a global level. FM Handheld on iOS is also double digit up, over half a million units sold globally. Even the PSP game did better than we expected. For a studio that's in its 21st year now, to still see record sales is something we are really proud of.”
The team has not yet announced plans for Football Manager 2014, but a launch is expected during November and an official reveal will probably come in late summer.
The current installment of the game has introduced a new Classic Mode option, which allows players to run through an entire season in just a few hours by eliminating some options.
The game now also offers Challenges, self-contained scenarios that ask a player to deal with a complex situation at a club in six months or one year.
Sports Interactive continues to deliver balance patches for Football Manager 2013.