FIFA Manager is an association football series of sports management games published by Electronic Arts. The games were developed by the German studio Bright Future and EA Sports. The game was called Total Club Manager until the name changed to FIFA Manager with the FIFA Manager 06.
Before FIFA Manager and Total Club Manager, EA Sports released FIFA Soccer Manager (1997) and The FA Premier League Football Manager 99, 2000, 2001 and 2002, but while the first managed to attract some attention, the latter were released when the managing games market for non-Championship Manager titles was close to non-existent, and after two unsuccessful titles, it was dropped.
However, by 2001, several employees of German developer Ascaron moved to EA, and the first game, Fussball Manager 2002, was released in Germany only, as a test for a potential series. The game had positive reception, and a year later Total Club Manager 2003 was released, with Bobby Robson on the cover (for the second time, after FIFA Soccer Manager).
One of the key features of Anstoss 3 was the ability to actually play the games after Anstoss Action was released. Although it could be played as a stand-alone game, it only reached the full potential when used with the manager game. This feature, only present on other games with limited geographical distribution, the SpanishPC Fútbol, was included for buyers of both TCM 2004 and FIFA 2004, which could use the Football Fusion function. Some fans managed to control games in TCM 2003 by hacking the configuration files, but data loss and corruption was frequent. Celtic manager Martin O'Neill appeared on the cover of TCM 2004. Criticized by a confusing interface, EA reworked it for TCM 2005, with a more sleek design. European Champion with former FC Porto and Chelsea manager José Mourinho was selected for the main cover.
FSM was also known for a complete stadium builder, where combining 300 different pieces (stands and roofs) allowed the creation of stadiums with over 300,000 seats (a figure which is still double the highest stadium capacity in the world). While the overall presentation (which included short FMV clips for some events, such as cup/league wins and being sacked) was praised, the interface relied too much on submenus that could not only be reached outside the main section, slowing down gameplay. Also, when the better players retired, they were replaced only by average younger players (rated between 75 and 80), which harmed the possibilities of games over 15 years long, combined with the impossibility of joining a different club.
The F.A. Premier League Football Manager 99 is a footballsports management game. It is the first game to be released in the F.A. Premier League Football Manager series.
FIFA Manager 06 is a game produced by EA under the brand EA Sports. It is a football (soccer) management game from the annual series of FIFA Manager titles. FIFA Manager 06 is the only game in the FIFA Manager series to have music from real bands.
FIFA Manager 09 is the 2009 successor to the FIFA Manager series from EA's sports brand, EA Sports. It is a follow up on FIFA Manager 08. FIFA Manager 09 was developed by Bright Future and published by EA Sports. On 29 October 2008, the first database update was released, including the first division of Cyprus and the necessary adjustments. The game gives players the chance to control a wide range of features from discussing tactics with individual players to creating monster stadiums to house fans.
FIFA Manager 09 received mixed reviews from Metacritic, with an average of 69%. Scores ranged from a dire 30% (Total PC Gaming) up to a more than respectable 85% (GameStar). Most reviews commented on the level of depth and realism involved in the game, while noting that it might well be too much for some. Play.tm called it "more a lifestyle than a game", observing that "a season, if played thoroughly, will take as long as most full games these days".[2]IT Reviews commented that, "it may still feel like you're awash with a tsunami of statistics but FIFA manager 09 has injected a number of new features to appeal to micromanagement fans".[3]
The German version features Joachim Löw on the cover.
FIFA Manager 10 is the 2010 successor to the FIFA Manager series from EA's sports brand, EA Sports, following up FIFA Manager 09. FIFA Manager 10 was developed by Bright Future and published by EA Spore. When installed there will be two executable files: Single-player mode and the Multiplayer mode that can be played online.[4] The game gives you the chance to control a wide range of features from discussing tactics with individual players to creating monster stadiums to house your fans. For the first time ever on the series, there is an online mode, as well as a superior 3D animation and a customizable manager desktop.[5]
Bright Future have released a new update on June 2, specially for their 10th anniversary, the new update lets the players manage their national team through the FIFA World Cup 2010. The players can choose the national teams that they want in the tournament and they can choose the original squad or make up their own squad.
FIFA Manager 11 is the 2011 successor to the FIFA Manager series from EA's sports brand, EA Sports, following up FIFA Manager 10, and is also the 10th edition of the franchise. FIFA Manager 11 was developed by Bright Future and published by EA Sports.
The game features a vast array of all-new features. Hundreds of improvements to the game have been made across the board with a special focus on its core areas. Introduced in 2009 it also includes a separate online mode where up to 8 players can play against each other over the internet.
The manager still has full control over the management of a football club. In the game you are responsible for the line-up, the tactics and the training of your team – as well as for signing the right players, improving the club facilities and the stadium. Special highlights are the FIFA 3D engine, more than 13,000 original player pictures, the player manager mode, the national team manager mode, the Create-a-Club mode and the Match Prognosis Tool.
FIFA Manager 13 is a football management video game developed by Bright Future and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released on Microsoft Windows. In the company's press release on 29 May 2012, Electronic Arts indicated that it would publish FIFA Manager 13 under its EA Sports label, and that Bright Future would develop the game, having previously developed earlier titles in the FIFA Manager series.[6]
A demo for the game was released on the 23 October 2012, three days before the release of the actual game. In the demo you can play in one of six leagues, chose to play from over 100 teams and play the first half of the current football season.
The new basic screen resolution of FIFA Manager 13 was increased from 1024x768 to 1280x1024 and the positional level was removed from the game. The general quality of a player will now be calculated with a formula that includes the skill levels and the player type.
FIFA Manager 14 is a football management video game developed by Bright Future GmbH, published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label and released on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 in October 2013. The game was mentioned in an EA press release on 8 May by EA Labels president Frank Gibeau and later fully confirmed on the German EA Facebook page on 19 July. A statement regarding the game was finally released on 31 July. The game was released on 24 October 2013 in Germany and a day later in the UK. It is the last installment of the FIFA Manager series as it was announced no further editions after FIFA Manager 14 would be released.
The game was released as a Legacy Edition along with FIFA 14 for PS2, PSP, PS Vita, Wii and Nintendo 3DS. This means no updates to gameplay or game modes at all and no new game modes and features apart from updated kits, rosters and statistics.
The only changes to FIFA Manager 14 are the fact that over 25 previously locked features are now available to play right from the start such as Psychological Profile, Coach Rumors, Team Matrix and Expanded Statistics. The international and national name pools have also undergone a complete overhaul, with over 6,000 names added.
