Football Manager hits 6 million players for second consecutive year

Image via Sports Interactive

Football Manager 2024 has attracted 6 million players in around two months. Franchise director and Sports Interactive boss Miles Jacobson broke the news on X and noted it took the title just 59 days to reach the milestone.

For context, it took Football Manager 2023 precisely 284 days to hit the same milestone–which at the time was a first for the franchise.

Football Manager 2024 launched on November 6, 2023, and is currently available on a wide variety of platforms including Windows PC, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, macOS, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Notably, the title has also been made available through subscription services including Xbox Game Pass, Netflix Games, and Apple Arcade.

Last year, Jacobson indicated that Sports Interactive’s willingness to embrace new platforms and distribution models has allowed the Football Manager franchise to reach new players.

“Over the last few years we’ve been embracing new platforms to improve the reach of our work–which hasn’t always worked that well (may Stadia rest in peace),” he said in a blog post published in June 2023. “But, with the success of our launches on Game Pass for Xbox and PC, this year saw us bring back Football Manager Touch for Apple Arcade and launch FM23 Console on PlayStation 5. Both exceeded all expectations.”

Before the studio started expanding its horizons, Football Manager was averaging around 2 million players a year. It has now attracted 6 million players across consecutive releases.

To underline the scale of that achievement, it’s worth remembering that Jacobson once believed that hitting 5 million players was “unimaginable.” Now, less than 12 months later, it has become something of a habit.

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News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.