Football Manager 2020 Explained

Football Manager 2020
Developer:Sports Interactive
Publisher:Sega
Series:Football Manager
Platforms:Android, Stadia, iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
Released:PC
18 November 2019[1]
Stadia
19 November 2019
Nintendo Switch
10 December 2019[2]
Genre:Sport simulations

Football Manager 2020 (officially abbreviated as FM20) is a 2019 football-management simulation video game developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega as a successor to Football Manager 2019. It was released worldwide on 18 November 2019.[1]

Playable leagues

The game offers playable teams in 53 countries[3] across five continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.[4] Coverage is heavily slanted towards European teams, with 34 of its 51 constituent countries having playable leagues, while South Africa is the only country of Africa's total 54 that is covered.

There are 118 leagues in this version.[3] The new additions are the Canadian Premier League (added as DLC on 23 December), the Gibraltar National League (forthcoming, post-release), the Gibraltar national team and the two new Welsh second-tier divisions, Cymru North and Cymru South.

Licensing

26 leagues (across 14 countries) were fully licensed for the game, as was KNVB ("Team Holland"). The Germany national team was reintroduced, having been omitted in FM19, and the Gibraltar national team was licensed for the first time, as was the Gibraltar National League.[5]

21 Italian teams gained licences, including all of the 2019–20 Serie A teams except Brescia and Juventus (the latter of which appeared as Zebre).

The licensed leagues:

Australia
Denmark
England
France
Germany
Gibraltar
The Netherlands
Northern Ireland
Poland
Scotland
South Korea
United States and Canada
Wales

Release

In June 2019, it was announced that FM20 will be a launch title for the Stadia streaming platform.[6] On 27 August 2019, Sports Interactive released a trailer for the release of the game.[7]

On 2 October 2019, SI released another trailer about the new feature to be added in the game.

Versions[8]
Football Manager 2020 MobileFootball Manager 2020 TouchFootball Manager 2020
Android
Stadia
iOS
macOS (via Steam)
Microsoft Windows (via Steam)
Nintendo Switch

Reception

Football Manager 2020 received "generally favorable" reviews while Football Manager 2020 Touch for Switch received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.

PC Gamer praised the game's scope and the gameplay's potential, writing, "There's scope to play for countless seasons and still be presented with fresh challenges, and the new Development Centre system makes building for the future more compelling than ever." IGN wrote positively about the game's increased accessibility compared to prior entries, stating, "There’s now real gratification in being a mid-table over-achiever, and entering Football Manager 2020 as a total beginner is a more realistic prospect than before." Dave James of PCGamesN found the game largely addicting, saying, "It looks as much of an iterative update as any FM game, but the added finesse of the new match engine, and the extra depth to the club staffing dynamics and development, make this the best version of the game yet." GamesRadar+ praised the game for its Club Vision mode and Development Centre while criticizing it for its bad press conferences and inconsistent striker AI.

The game sold over 3 million units.[9]

Notes and References

  1. https://twitter.com/FootballManager/status/1196520228160786432 Sports Interactive's official Twitter account
  2. Web site: Football Manager 2020 Touch Kicks Off On Switch Next Week . . Ryan . Craddock . December 6, 2019 . December 7, 2019.
  3. https://www.footballmanager.com/games/football-manager-2020 Football Manager 2020
  4. https://realsport101.com/football-manager/football-manager-2020-leagues-licenses-clubs-list-release-date-beta/ "Football Manager 2020: All the leagues coming to the overhauled game"
  5. https://www.footballmanager.com/news/football-manager-2020-licenses FOOTBALL MANAGER 2020 LICENSES
  6. Web site: McWhertor . Michael . All the games coming to Google Stadia . Polygon . 28 August 2019 . 6 June 2019.
  7. Web site: #FM20 Announce Trailer Football Manager 2020 . YouTube. 28 August 2019 . en.
  8. Web site: Jacobson . Miles . To answer lots of questions in advance (1/2)#FM20 - PC/Mac (via Steam) & Stadia, with an exclusive tech feature only possible on Stadia coming soon from @FootballManager #FM20T - PC/Mac (via Steam), high end tablets on iOS & Android, & Switch#FM20M - iOS & Android… . @milesSI . 28 August 2019 . en . 27 August 2019.
  9. Web site: Sega Europe Limited Annual Financial Statements. gov.uk. 4. March 2020. September 7, 2022.