Football Manager is already one of the most granular sims out there, and Sports Interactive has announced some new additions coming with Football Manager 2020 that are going to make it even more true to life.
Sports Interactive has done some expected quality-of-life type improvements, and player models and pitches have all had a round of graphical polish or, when necessary, a re-do. That’s the kind of stuff you expect in an annual release.
More interesting, though, is the new “Club Vision” mechanic. SI says this is about developing a “culture” for your organisation, and you’ll be rewarded or docked based on how well your team fits into that identity. This is essentially a new way to rank teams, and it takes into account a lot more factors than simple wins and losses.
The basic idea here is that the Club Vision is a long-term goal to work towards over multiple seasons, so it’s providing a new way to plan and play Football Manager, which I think is pretty neat.
There are other new features on the way as well: Owners will now have access to a ‘Development Centre’ meant to foster young players. The system highlights ‘ones to watch’ and provides advice about how best to foster a successful football career in those talented newbies.
Football Manager 2020 is also making significant changes to the way it handles backroom staff, and it’s adding a contract clause that allows you to offer potential players guaranteed playing time as an incentive.
If you’re into Football Manager you’re already into Football Manager, and if you’re not, most of this is going to seem like gibberish. But taken together it’s a pretty big shakeup, and one that’s bound to make the coming simulated soccer seasons all the more interesting.