To the untrained eye, Football Manager 2023 might look very similar to the previous games in this storied franchise, but hardened fans will know that FM 23 is positively dripping with new features.
Sports Interactive, the company behind the SEGA-published series, do a lot of tinkering under the hood between each new instalment, so what exactly has changed? What differences can you expect to see when you load up the FM 23 beta and start scouting for FM 23 wonderkids?
Keep on reading and we’ll run through all the FM 23 new features that you need to know about. Put your best managerial suit on and check out the key info below.
What are the FM 23 new features?
If you’ve got a bit of time on your hands, this official video from the Football Manager 2023 YouTube account sums up the FM 23 new features over a snappy 42 minutes:
There’s a more brisk summary on the game’s official website, thankfully enough, and we’re going to sum all that good stuff up for you now. Let’s get cracking, then!
A major revamp to recruitment has taken place for this year’s game, and it can be summarised in the following ways:
- A new tool called the Squad Planner will help you to better visualise your squad and the options at your disposal
- The new Experience Matrix will allow you to see which stage of their careers your players are at (e.g., you’ll see if they’re past their peak)
- Scouting has been overhauled, allowing you to set ‘Recruitment Focuses’ in key areas you want to improve
- Agents now have a larger role – you can reach out to them before making a transfer offer, or even before you try to renew a contract, to get the lay of the land
- Recruitment Meetings have been improved, too, now split into two different types (Planning and Feedback)
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A number of big changes have also been made to your AI opponents, who will now be smarter than before. Specifically, the decision-making skills of computer-controller managers should now be far more sophisticated, meaning they’ll be harder to predict (and their teams harder to beat).
Another big change is in the European competitions, which are now officially licensed for the first time – the UEFA Champions League, the Europa League and the Europa Conference League will now have their official names and logos, allowing you to experience those mid-week matches with more realism than ever before.
There’s also a whole new system for Supporter Confidence, where you’ll see your fanbase split into different categories (from Hardcore to Casual). Similar to the familiar system of Board Confidence, you’ll now see detailed information about your fans’ feelings on a wide range of topics.
And finally, the other major new feature to talk about is the Dynamic Manager Timeline, which will sum up the milestones of your career in an easy-to-parse way (similar to the Fortnite timeline that remembers all your achievements over the years). This should allow you to bask in your glory, or you failures, for years to come.
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