Sports Interactive and SEGA® Europe Ltd. are delighted to announce a collaboration with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd. (SCEE) which will result in the release of a major landmark in the development of the Football Manager series, Football Manager Classic 2014 for PlayStation Vita.

FMC 2014 for PS Vita is the first game in the series’ long and successful history to allow cross-platform compatibility away from home computers, meaning that fans who own both FM 2014 (and play Classic mode) for PC, Mac or Linux and FMC 2014 for PS Vita will be able to carry on a single continuous game, whether they’re at home using their computer or out and about with their PlayStation Vita (or vice versa).

In addition, FMC 2014 for PS Vita will also be the first ever handheld game to feature FM’s acclaimed 3D Match Engine, adding an extra layer of realism and immersion that’s been unavailable in previous Football Manager games for handheld devices, alongside a pretty much identical feature set to Football Manager Classic on home computers.

“This is a hugely significant landmark for Football Manager,” says Miles Jacobson, Studio Director for Sports Interactive. “Not only are we today announcing a first for us, with a portable version of Football Manager Classic, but we’re also announcing the first game ever to provide cross-save between PC, Mac, Linux and PS Vita. Play the game at home, at work, at Uni, on the bus, on the train – wherever you want to, with the saved game stored in the cloud. Welcome to the future.”

“At PlayStation, many of us have longed for the full Football Manager experience on the go, so we’re absolutely thrilled to see Football Manager 2014 make its first full appearance on the PlayStation Vita,” says Shahid Ahmad, Senior Business Development Manager, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE). Speaking of the project, he adds: “We were especially thrilled to support the Sports Interactive team’s desire to create a seamless experience between Football Manager on a home computer and the PlayStation Vita. It’s always a pleasure working with our long-standing partners at SEGA and we’re looking forward to the fruit of this innovative collaboration between our companies.”

Football Manager Classic started life as a ‘slimmed down’ game mode in Football Manager 2013, specifically designed as an alternative, less time-consuming way for players to approach the game. The release of FMC 2014 for PS Vita marks the first time that it’s been released as a standalone game.
Produced with considerable support from SCEE, FMC 2014 for PS Vita has been co-developed by Sports Interactive, sister game development studio Hardlight (responsible for Sonic Dash and Sonic Jump) and Sheffield-based Little Stone Software.

“The creation of FMC 2014 for PS Vita has been a really positive advertisement for the value of collaboration,” adds Jacobson. “It was no mean feat to get a game as technically advanced as Football Manager onto a mobile device with the minimum of compromise and it’s taken a great deal of effort and ingenuity to make it happen. Everyone who’s worked on this game at SI, Hardlight, Little Stone and, of course, PlayStation has done an awesome job and I would like to say a huge thanks to them all for making what was originally a ‘wouldn’t it be good?’ type conversation between ourselves and PlayStation into reality.”

Football Manager Classic 2014 for PlayStation Vita will be published by SEGA and will be available as both a physical release and a digital download through the PSN store.