Football Manager 2020's sporty spreadsheets hit Steam and Stadia today
Another kickabout, then?
Football Manager 2020 came out today, and look. I'm not gonna pretend like I'm the best person to give you a point-by-point breakdown on why this soccer spreadsheet is better than the last. Sports Interactive have been putting these things out annually for years, improving the nitty-gritty of managing a team of fit football lads every 12 months. This year's edition is once again missing Mr Football Manager's faceless figure from the cover, in exchange for a game that wants to inject a bit more personality into your teams and players.
It does have this absolute belter of an announcement trailer, mind. Is this the game? Can I pop onto Steam and let footie folk scream at me? That'd be aces.
This year's FM adds more tools for developing the culture of your club, letting you flesh out more of a personality from those stats and numbers in the Club Vision suite. You'll also get more control over your player's lives, leading them from a new youth team hub into a more tailored experience once they're fully grown and shackled to your roster.
FM2020 also overhauls the graphics engine once more, making improvements to lighting and texture work across the board. See, these days you get to watch a proper 3D game unfold - a far cry from watching my cousin stare down tiny dots on a pixellated pitch.
If you took part in the FM2020 beta, your career should carry over nicely so your team can keep on kicking. Of course, you could always skip another Football Manager and keep running the same FM2012 career for 37 in-game years.
Football Manager 2020 is out now on Steam for £40/$50/€60. It's also on Stadia, if that's what you fancy, while you can pick it up in a real flesh-and-blood shop in this nice eco-friendly box.
It's even got a free demo and all. Give it a season, see if this management lark is working out for you.