FM26 PR Reset
Football Manager, 2025
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Shifting the conversation around Football Manager from FM25’s cancellation to anticipation for a new era of the series.
MY ROLE
Led PR strategy and rollout across FM26, working with DawBell, Hope & Glory and SEGA.
CONTEXT
By early 2025, Football Manager had become a mainstream story for the wrong reasons.
Two delays and the eventual cancellation of FM25 played out over several months. The cancellation alone generated more than 700 pieces of coverage and over 10 million views on X, pulling in mainstream media and a wider football audience.
Football Manager was no longer controlling the narrative. Coverage focused on what had gone wrong, and the longer it continued, the harder it became to shift.
FM25 had become a saga. Without a clear conclusion, FM26 risked being pulled back into the same cancellation story.
STRATEGY
Close the FM25 chapter
Draw a clear line under FM25 so the conversation could move on. Targeted interviews with the BBC, Eurogamer and The Athletic saw the Studio Director set out a clear version of events.
Make features the focus
Shift attention towards what came next - the new engine, women’s football and the new era of Football Manager.
Build the story over time
Avoid treating the reset as a single moment. Use feature reveals, press moments and the football calendar to build anticipation gradually around FM26.
Expand across Europe
Use DawBell’s PR:E network to drive coverage across key European markets.
WHAT CHANGED
The narrative shifted over time. Early interviews helped bring the FM25 story to a close with attention moving to what the new era of Football Manager would look like.
FM re-entered mainstream, football and lifestyle media. Coverage spanned GQ, The Guardian, Financial Times, Forbes, Evening Standard and Stylist, alongside broadcast slots with ITV, BBC Newsround and The Apprentice.
Across Europe, FM stayed visible through podcasts, broadcast and live events as anticipation around FM26 grew.
PR became less reactive and more connected to the wider direction of the series.
1,099
total pieces of coverage
3.3B
total global reach
47%
coverage outside of gaming
Images: Hamish Brown