Football Manager 2005
Encyclopedia
Football Manager 2005 is a game in the Football Manager
computer game series. It was developed by Sports Interactive
and released on November 5, 2004, published by Sega
.
On the 12th February 2004, after splitting from publishers Eidos Interactive
it was announced that Sports Interactive
, producers of the Championship Manager game, had acquired the brand and would henceforth release their games under the "Football Manager" name, whilst the Championship Manager series will go on, but no longer be related to Sports Interactive
.
Commonly known as "FM 2005", it competed directly with Championship Manager 5
the severely delayed, and widely slated effort from Eidos
-funded Beautiful Game Studios
.
Football Manager 2005 included an updated user interface, a refined game engine, updated database and competition rules, pre and post-match information, international player news, cup summary news, 2D clips from agents, coach reports on squads, job centre for non-playing positions, mutual contract termination, enhanced player loan options, manager "mind games" and various other features.
Football Manager 2005 was released in the UK on November 4, 2004 - closely followed by releases in many other countries around the world - and it became the 5th fastest selling PC game of all time (according to Eurogamer
). The Macintosh
version of the game comes on the same dual format
disk as the PC
version, so its sales are also included.
when it was found that regions such as Tibet
and Taiwan
were included as separate countries in imported releases. The People's Republic of China
has long claimed these regions as part of its territory and their reason for banning the game was that it "threatened its content harmful to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity ... [that] seriously violates Chinese law
and has been strongly protested by our nation's gamers".
Sports Interactive published a statement in reply, reporting that a Chinese version of the game (complete with Taiwan annexed into China as per the Chinese government's wishes) would be released. They also stated that the offending version was not translated into Chinese as it was not supposed to be released in China. The offending games were believed to have been imported or downloaded, written to CD and boxed to be sold in illegal software shops in China.
Thanks to the way these data changes have been made through using simple instructions in plain-text files called EDT files and LNC files, it is possible to reverse these changes, either by modifiying the files or by deleting the appropriate file).
Football Manager
Football Manager is a series of football management simulation games developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game began its life in 1992 as Championship Manager; however, following the break-up of their partnership with original publishers Eidos Interactive, Sports Interactive...
computer game series. It was developed by Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive Limited is a computer games development company currently based in Old Street, Central London and owned by the Japanese software and video game company Sega. It is the developer of the popular games Football Manager, NHL Eastside Hockey Manager and Championship Manager Quiz, and...
and released on November 5, 2004, published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
.
On the 12th February 2004, after splitting from publishers Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
it was announced that Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive Limited is a computer games development company currently based in Old Street, Central London and owned by the Japanese software and video game company Sega. It is the developer of the popular games Football Manager, NHL Eastside Hockey Manager and Championship Manager Quiz, and...
, producers of the Championship Manager game, had acquired the brand and would henceforth release their games under the "Football Manager" name, whilst the Championship Manager series will go on, but no longer be related to Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive Limited is a computer games development company currently based in Old Street, Central London and owned by the Japanese software and video game company Sega. It is the developer of the popular games Football Manager, NHL Eastside Hockey Manager and Championship Manager Quiz, and...
.
Commonly known as "FM 2005", it competed directly with Championship Manager 5
Championship Manager 5
Championship Manager 5 is the fifth installment of the popular Championship Manager series of football management computer games. It is the first game in the series to be developed by Eidos, after the much publicised split between Eidos and Sports Interactive.- Early difficulties :The game was...
the severely delayed, and widely slated effort from Eidos
Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
-funded Beautiful Game Studios
Beautiful Game Studios
Beautiful Game Studios is a computer game development studio based in London, England. The studio is an internal development team within Square Enix and was set up in late 2003 by Eidos Interactive to develop the Championship Manager series...
.
Football Manager 2005 included an updated user interface, a refined game engine, updated database and competition rules, pre and post-match information, international player news, cup summary news, 2D clips from agents, coach reports on squads, job centre for non-playing positions, mutual contract termination, enhanced player loan options, manager "mind games" and various other features.
Football Manager 2005 was released in the UK on November 4, 2004 - closely followed by releases in many other countries around the world - and it became the 5th fastest selling PC game of all time (according to Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
). The Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
version of the game comes on the same dual format
Dual format
Dual Format is a technique used to allow two completely different systems software to reside on the same disk.The term was used on the Amiga and Atari ST platform to indicate that the disk could be inserted into either machine and it would still boot and run...
disk as the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
version, so its sales are also included.
List of leagues included in Football Manager 2005
| Country | Levels | Divisions |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2 | 2 |
| Australia | 1 | 1 |
| Austria | 2 | 2 |
| Belarus | 2 | 2 |
| Belgium | 3 | 4 |
| Brazil | 3 | 18 |
| Bulgaria | 2 | 2 |
| Chile | 2 | 4 |
| China | 2 | 2 |
| Colombia | 2 | 2 |
| Croatia | 2 | 3 |
| Czech Republic | 2 | 2 |
| Denmark | 3 | 3 |
| England | 6 | 7 |
| Finland | 2 | 2 |
| France | 3 | 3 |
| Germany | 3 | 4 |
| Greece | 2 | 2 |
| Hong Kong | 1 | 1 |
| Hungary | 2 | 2 |
| Iceland | 2 | 2 |
| India | 1 | 1 |
| Indonesia | 2 | 3 |
| Ireland | 2 | 2 |
| Israel | 2 | 2 |
| Italy | 4 | 7 |
| Malaysia | 2 | 3 |
| Mexico | 2 | 2 |
| The Netherlands | 2 | 2 |
| Northern Ireland | 3 | 3 |
| Norway | 3 | 6 |
| Peru | 1 | 1 |
| Poland | 2 | 2 |
| Portugal | 3 | 5 |
| Romania | 2 | 4 |
| Russia | 2 | 2 |
| Scotland | 4 | 4 |
| Serbia & Montenegro | 2 | 3 |
| Singapore | 1 | 1 |
| Slovakia | 2 | 2 |
| Slovenia | 2 | 2 |
| South Africa | 2 | 2 |
| South Korea | 2 | 2 |
| Spain | 3 | 6 |
| Sweden | 3 | 8 |
| Switzerland | 2 | 2 |
| Turkey | 3 | 5 |
| Ukraine | 2 | 2 |
| United States | 1 | 1 |
| Uruguay | 2 | 2 |
| Wales | 1 | 1 |
Chinese controversy
Football Manager 2005 was banned in ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
when it was found that regions such as Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
were included as separate countries in imported releases. The People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
has long claimed these regions as part of its territory and their reason for banning the game was that it "threatened its content harmful to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity ... [that] seriously violates Chinese law
Law of the People's Republic of China
Law of the People's Republic of China is the legal regime of the People's Republic of China, with the separate legal traditions and systems of Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau....
and has been strongly protested by our nation's gamers".
Sports Interactive published a statement in reply, reporting that a Chinese version of the game (complete with Taiwan annexed into China as per the Chinese government's wishes) would be released. They also stated that the offending version was not translated into Chinese as it was not supposed to be released in China. The offending games were believed to have been imported or downloaded, written to CD and boxed to be sold in illegal software shops in China.
Copyright issues
Due to various copyright disputes and restrictions certain alterations had to be made to the game data which took away some of the game's famous realism. Noticeable changes included the following:- The name of the famous German goalkeeper Oliver KahnOliver KahnOliver Rolf Kahn is a former German football goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team. He had his debut game in the professional squad in 1987...
had to be removed and was replaced with the name Jens MustermannOliver KahnOliver Rolf Kahn is a former German football goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team. He had his debut game in the professional squad in 1987...
(Mustermann translates from German into English as Sample Man and is the German equivalent of John Doe or Joe Bloggs - see Placeholder name). This is because Kahn does not allow his image or name to be used in certain computer games and it is speculated that his name was changed to Jens in the game (the name of his main goalkeeping rival, Jens LehmannJens LehmannJens Gerhard Lehmann is a German former football goalkeeper. He was voted UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year for the 1996–97 and 2005–06 seasons, and he has been selected for three World Cup squads. He was a member of Arsenal's Invincibles, playing every match of their famous unbeaten title winning...
) as a light-hearted dig at Kahn. - The German national team never picks 'real' players and instead only ever uses 'greyed-out' fictional players.
- The names of all French league teams had to be changed from their full names to simply the name of the city they represent. For example, Paris Saint-Germain became Paris and Olympique de MarseilleOlympique de MarseilleOlympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
became Marseille. - The names of Japanese league teams were changed to completely fictional names such as Niitsu Unicorn and Katano Blaze.
- The name of the Japanese J. LeagueJ. LeagueThe or is the top division of and is the top professional association football league in Japan. It is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football and the only league given top class 'A' ranking by the AFC. Currently, J. League Division 1 is the first level of the Japanese...
was changed to the N-League or Nihon League. - The names of the major European trophies were changed to fictional names. The European Cup or UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
became the Champions Cup, the UEFA Cup became the Euro Cup and the UEFA Intertoto CupUEFA Intertoto CupThe UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
became the Euro Vase.
Thanks to the way these data changes have been made through using simple instructions in plain-text files called EDT files and LNC files, it is possible to reverse these changes, either by modifiying the files or by deleting the appropriate file).
See also
- Football ManagerFootball ManagerFootball Manager is a series of football management simulation games developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game began its life in 1992 as Championship Manager; however, following the break-up of their partnership with original publishers Eidos Interactive, Sports Interactive...
- For information on the entire Football Manager series. - Football Manager 2006Football Manager 2006Football Manager 2006 is a game in the Football Manager series of football management simulation games. It is available for PC, Mac, Xbox 360, and PSP platforms, and was released in the UK on October 21, 2005...
- The sequel to this game. - Championship Manager seriesChampionship Manager seriesThe Championship Manager series is a series of British football-management simulation computer games, the first of which was released in 1992.The Championship Manager brand and game was conceived by two brothers: Paul and Oliver Collyer...
- The name formerly used by Sports Interactive for its football management series.
External links
Below is a list of several external resources which contain various features relating to the Football Manager scene (both official and unofficial) such as patches, articles and downloads.Official
- FootballManager.net - Official game website from Sega and Sports Interactive
- Sega Europe - Sega's site showing a brief summary of the game.
- SIGames.com - Official Sports Interactive website
- Myspace - Official Sports Interactive Myspace Page