Football Manager 2014 release date confirmed, technical enhancements revealed

Football Manager 2014 will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, October 31st, Sports Interactive has announced. The new game will be available for Windows PC, Mac and, for the first time, Linux.

Football Manager 2014 features a number of technical innovations designed to make the management experience more engaging, fun and immersive. These include…

ZiZo - The new ‘zoom in/zoom out’ feature allows you to set up your interface, your way. The system works in conjunction with the games adapative layout to allow anyone with a high resolution screen to have the game display the information that they want, with the text size and graphic size that they want. When used alongside Steam’s ‘Big Picture’ mode makes it practical to play FM on a TV screen.

YouTube highlights package - An improved YouTube export feature, which now allows fans to upload custom highlights packages showing goals from multiple camera angles.

Cloud Saving - The integration of Steam’s ‘cloud save’ functionality means that managers will now be able to continue a single career across a variety of computers, as long as they are logged into their Steam account. What’s more, the cross-compatibility between the Windows PC, Mac and Linux versions means that a single career can be continued across any and all of these platforms.

Steam Workshop - The integration of Steam Workshop into FM 2014 will allow fans to easily create content and share it with their fellow managers. Fans will be able to create unique game skins and graphics, customise and share bespoke databases (including additional leagues and nations) and create customised competitions. In addition, Classic Mode will feature a Challenge Editor which will allow fans to create and share unique gameplay scenarios.

Cross-save with PS Vita - Football Manager Classic players will not only be able to continue a single career across the three computer platforms, they will also be able to continue that same career while mobile on their PS Vita (the PS Vita version of FM 2014 is also required). The PS Vita game will also be the first handheld version of Football Manager to feature the 3D match engine.

As with last year’s release, fans who pre-order their copy of FM 2014 from a participating retailer (high street or digital download) will enjoy early access to a fully-playable Beta version of the game, available roughly two weeks prior to the official release date. Careers started in this Beta version will continue in the full game.