Football Manager 2014 offers 'a thousand' changes

The 2014 edition of Sports Interactive's long-running soccer team leadership sim Football Manager has been announced, introducing a new 3D match engine and "more than 1,000 improvements and enhancements" over predecessor Football Manager 2013.

The series of games, which put the player in charge of a professional soccer team's on and off-field activities, has been active since the early 1990s and has developed a core of dedicated fans, particularly in Europe.

Published by Sega, Football Manager 2014's enhancements include changes in tactics, staff interaction, news systems, user interface, community features, transfers and contracts. It's also the first time the series has introduced a Linux version and cloud saves, allowing the player to interact from multiple machines.

"Our unchanging goal in the development of the Football Manager series is to deliver the most authentic and immersive simulation of real-world football management wherever you may be in the world," said Sports Interactive's studio director Miles Jacobson. "Players can now take charge of their team anywhere they can access a home computer, and with huge improvements to existing features plus the addition of loads of new stuff, can have the best Football Manager experience to date while doing so."

The game is set for launch "before Christmas," although a beta is available to those who pre-order from participating retailers.