It's All Over: FIFA Manager 14 Is The Last In The Series

Football is a game of two halves, and so is this post. Snarky FC kicks off.

EA Sports have announced that FIFA Manager 14 will be the last in the series. Which is probably just as well, because those games were rubbish. They're the equivalent of when footballers launch their own line of cologne. It's an obligatory brand extension which makes a lot of money for everyone involved, but the only people who should buy it are those who want to douse their lives with the shallow, stench-ridden work of millionaires.

Let me pass this ball along.

Now freelancer teammate Philippa Warr is on the ball. Over IM.

Pip: the title implies you're managing FIFA and who on earth in their right mind would want to try that?
game objectives: attempt to convince general public that FIFA is not corrupt and shit
have successful conversation with Sepp Blatter about not being a twat re: female outfits
manage to navigate press call regarding 2022 world cup without igniting homophobia row

Oof! It's the end of the first half and it's 6-0 to Snarky FC. But now Atlético Feels Bad About Being So Snarky FC are kicking off.

Isn't it always a little sad when a long-running game series comes to an end? FIFA Manager has been going for over a decade, and while it was never the best game in the genre, it clearly had an audience. The "Open Letter from Gerald" which announced the decision to stop producing them is glum, and all the more so due to the genuine sadness of the commenters posting underneath. I genuinely hope the team can move on to new things.

It also leaves the genre in a strange place. Football Manager 2014 is great, but with Championship Manager vanishing in 2011, Sports Interactive no longer have any competition. The closest you have to an alternative is something like New Star Soccer, which while excellent, plays in a different league. There was never really a sense that Sports Interactive were making their game in response to any rival, but competition and choice are only ever a good thing from a gamer's perspective. And no, those awful free-to-play MMO things don't count, because they've all been rubbish so far.

Foul! Referee Adam Smith has run on to the field. In the RPS chatroom.

Adam: It looked like it was pretending to be a simulation but I didn't believe it. Too fiddly and opaque.

Penalty to Snarky FM. They score it and win. Full time. Football is over forever. John and Alec go wild with celebration in the stands.