FM27 and beyond

With the launch of Football Manager 27 approaching, I wanted to give you all an update on what's coming, what I'm working on, and a few changes going forward.

First, the good news!

I'm not going anywhere!

There WILL be an FM27 skin, and work is already well underway.

Alongside the skin, I've also got some exciting plans for the retro databases and regen mod.

• Brand-new 2011/12 database: Coming to FM24, FM26 and FM27.

• Existing retro databases: I'll be updating these to take advantage of the new game start date feature, allowing you to begin your saves in the correct season.

• Regen mod improvements: I'm working on adding more players and, eventually, more faces. I know this has been one of the most requested improvements, so it's something I'm keen to expand.

The changes to the retro databases in particular are going to make a massive difference. Being able to start in the correct season might sound like a small addition, but for retro saves, it's an absolute gamechanger.

Changes to the Skin Tier

Now, onto something I know won't be quite as popular.

The Skin tier will be increasing to £4 per month.

The Full Release tier will remain at its current price.

I know price increases are never welcome, especially when everything seems to be getting more expensive, so I want to explain the two main reasons behind this decision.

1. More versions, more customisation and more development

For FM27, I'm taking a different approach to how the skin is built.

Rather than relying on Football Manager's in-game scaling, which didn't look particularly impressive during the livestream, I'll be developing dedicated versions for different detail settings and screen resolutions.

Each of these versions will also have:

• A dark version and a default colours version.

• A sidebar and no-sidebar version.

The aim is to make each version more streamlined, better optimised and more suited to your individual setup.

I'm also developing a BepInEx mod that will allow you to switch between these versions without having to manually swap files around.

As you can imagine, this is considerably more work than simply producing one skin and hoping it scales properly across everyone's setup.

2. Patreon fees

The second reason is a little more selfish on my part, and I'll openly admit that.

Patreon charges payment processing fees on individual transactions, which means that at the previous £1 price point, a disproportionately large percentage of each payment was being lost to fees.

Put simply, the £1 pricing model was becoming increasingly difficult to justify given the amount of time going into development.

A 50% Annual Subscription Discount

To help offset the increase, I've introduced a 50% discount for anyone choosing an annual subscription.

This applies to ALL tiers, not just the Skin tier.

I know plenty of you keep your subscriptions running throughout the year, and I wanted to offer something back to those who continue supporting my work long-term.

A Final Word

I completely understand that not everyone will be happy with the price increase, and that's absolutely fine.

If you decide the new price isn't for you, or you'd rather not continue using the skin, there are genuinely no hard feelings.

What I do want people to understand is that thousands of hours go into developing and maintaining these projects every year. Between the skins, retro databases, regen mods, updates and support, there's an enormous amount of work happening behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, I've also had to deal with some pretty unpleasant abuse, including death threats over content not being free. It's ridiculous that even needs mentioning, but it's part of the reality of putting your work out there.

I love creating this stuff, and I want to continue doing it for years to come. I just need to make sure the time and work involved remain sustainable.

And that's really what these changes are about.

I'm genuinely excited about FM27 and what I have planned. Between the new skin, the improvements to the retro databases and the expanded regen mod, I think there's plenty to look forward to.

As always, thank you to everyone who supports my work, whether you've been here for years or have only recently joined.

Also, for those that haven't already, you can enter to win a free copy of FM27 over on my X account. I'm giving away 23 copies! https://x.com/MrTini23/status/2112871608511549603

Roll on FM27!