Admitting that they have bested by competition, EA Sports decided to cancel its FIFA Manager series.
"The football manager genre at this level of sophistication is highly specialised and primarily played in two countries (England and Germany), in which - on top of everything - one game has practically dominated the market in recent years," Gerald Köhler admitted, referring to Sports Interactive's Football Manager.
"The niche market and general trend toward online and mobile games were also contributing factors. Moreover, FM had reached a crossroads at which a new engine and/or corresponding online technology would be the only way to give the series a boost. When all these factors were evaluated, it led us to the decision to blow the final whistle."
FIFA Manager was initially called Total Club Manager when it launched in 2002. The series name was changed to its current FIFA Manager mantra in 2005.