FIFA Manager
EA's football management series, from Total Club Manager to FIFA Manager.
FIFA Manager is a series of football management simulation games published by Electronic Arts. The German studio Bright Future and EA Sports developed the titles. Originally released under the name Total Club Manager, the series was rebranded as FIFA Manager starting with FIFA Manager 06.
Before this series, EA Sports released FIFA Soccer Manager in 1997, followed by The FA Premier League Football Manager titles for 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002. The first game gained some attention, but the later entries arrived when the market for management games outside the Championship Manager series was nearly nonexistent. After two unsuccessful releases, that line was discontinued.
In 2001, several employees from the German developer Ascaron moved to EA. The first result was Fussball Manager 2002, released only in Germany as a test for a potential series. It received positive feedback, and a year later, Total Club Manager 2003 launched, featuring Bobby Robson on the cover—his second appearance after FIFA Soccer Manager.
A key feature from Anstoss 3 was the ability to play matches directly, a function that reached its full potential when combined with the manager game. This feature, also present in the geographically limited Spanish game PC Fútbol, was included for buyers of both Total Club Manager 2004 and FIFA 2004 through the Football Fusion function. Some fans managed to control matches in TCM 2003 by hacking configuration files, though data loss and corruption were common. Martin O'Neill, then manager of Celtic, appeared on the cover of TCM 2004. After criticism of a confusing interface, EA redesigned it for TCM 2005 with a sleeker look. José Mourinho, European Champion with FC Porto and Chelsea manager, was chosen for the main cover.
While the Total Club Manager series was released for Windows, Xbox, and PlayStation 2, the FIFA Manager series is only available for Windows. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions were developed for EA Canada by Budcat Creations.
**Games**
**FIFA Soccer Manager** FIFA Soccer Manager (FSM) is a 1997 football management computer game developed and published by Electronic Arts under its EA Sports label. It was followed by The FA Premier League Football Manager and the Total Club Manager series. An update is freely available from EA's FTP.
Quick Facts
- Title
- FIFA Manager
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows
- Publisher
- EA Sports
- Genre
- Sports management (association football)
- First Release Version
- FIFA Soccer Manager
- First Release Date
- 1997
- Latest Release Version
- FIFA Manager 14
- Latest Release Date
- 25 October 2013
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Before FIFA Manager and Total Club Manager, EA Sports released FIFA Soccer Manager (1997) and The FA Premier League Football Manager 99, 2000, 2001 and 2002. While the first attracted some attention, the latter were released when the managing games market for non-Championship Manager titles was close to non-existent, and after two unsuccessful titles, it was dropped. However, by 2001, several employees of German developer Ascaron moved to EA, and the first game, Fussball Manager 2002, was released in Germany only as a test. The game had positive reception, and a year later Total Club Manager 2003 was released, with Bobby Robson on the cover.
One key feature from Anstoss 3 was the ability to actually play the games after Anstoss Action was released. This feature, only present on other games with limited geographical distribution (the Spanish PC Fútbol), was included for buyers of both TCM 2004 and FIFA 2004, which could use the Football Fusion function. Some fans managed to control games in TCM 2003 by hacking configuration files, but data loss and corruption was frequent. The TCM series was released for Windows, Xbox and PlayStation 2, while the FIFAM series is only available for Windows. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions were developed for EA Canada by Budcat Creations.
Reader's Guide
The FIFA Manager series represents EA's long-running attempt to compete in the football management genre. Starting with the modestly successful FIFA Soccer Manager in 1997, the series struggled through the F.A. Premier League Football Manager titles before finding a foothold with the German-developed Total Club Manager line. The series is notable for its integration with the FIFA simulation games via the Football Fusion feature, allowing players to control matches in real time. The shift from Total Club Manager to FIFA Manager marked a consolidation of the brand, and the series became PC-exclusive after Total Club Manager 2005. The games were developed primarily by Bright Future, with console versions handled by Budcat Creations. The series' legacy includes a dedicated fan base that appreciated its depth, though some entries received mixed reviews for complexity and interface issues. The final entries added online multiplayer and 3D match animation, but the series was ultimately discontinued by EA.
Did You Know?
- FIFA Manager was originally called Total Club Manager until the name changed with FIFA Manager 06.
- The series included a stadium builder that allowed creation of stadiums with over 300,000 seats.
- Bobby Robson appeared on the cover of both FIFA Soccer Manager (1997) and Total Club Manager 2003.
- The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of Total Club Manager were developed by Budcat Creations for EA Canada.
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