FM27 will let you create a manager who looks a lot more like you. On Wednesday, 15 October, Sports Interactive published a new article about the game. This time it is text only, with no video. It covers the Manager Creator, the new look of newgens and several accessibility improvements.
It is not the topic the community asks for most, and that showed in the reactions. Even so, there are changes here you will see in every save, starting with your wonderkids’ faces.
(Image: Sports Interactive)
If you missed any of the previous deep dives, here they are, in order:
- New interface and clearer navigation
- A deeper, more immersive football world
- Release date and a more spectacular matchday
- Tactical Tweaks and a more realistic match engine
- Revamped training and the new Tactical Effectiveness
We read the official article, the images that come with it and the discussion in SI’s Reddit thread. Here is what matters.
What SI wanted to change in FM27
According to SI, the work combined community feedback with the team’s own internal reviews. There were three goals: improve how newgens look, add more options when creating your manager and let you create a manager who uses a wheelchair. There is also news for anyone who needs bigger text on screen.
A manager in your own image
The Manager Creator is split into four tabs: Presets, Body, Head and Attire. If you are in a hurry, you pick one of the presets and move on. If you like detail, FM27 gives you a lot more to play with than FM26.
(Image: Sports Interactive)
There are more body types, new ethnicity options and improvements to faces and skin. Beards also look better. In the Body tab, for example, you find body type, skin tone and height. There is also Mobility, a new option we cover further down.
(Image: Sports Interactive)
There is also a detail carried over from the matchday deep dive: the new hair physics apply to your manager too. In other words, your hair moves as you walk around the technical area.
Hats, scarves and gloves in FM27
Clothing is the area that grew the most. For the first time, FM27 has hats, from woolly beanies to caps. The caps are meant for those 3pm kick-offs at the start of the season. There are also new shirt and jacket combinations and accessories such as scarves and gloves.
(Image: Sports Interactive)
Finally, the colour picker is back. So you can dress your manager in your club’s colours instead of being stuck with the options on the list.
Your favourite club is back
Another return to FM27: before you start your career, you can choose up to four favourite clubs. On the biography screen, the game explains that your favourite club is part of your identity. It can even influence how the football world sees you, in the relationships you build and in your dealings with the media.
(Image: Sports Interactive)
The image also shows the steps of manager creation: appearance, biography, playing career, non-playing role, coaching badge, style, personality and a final summary. Interestingly, one user pointed out on Reddit that the favourite club already existed in FM26, but hidden. It only appeared if you edited your manager in the In-Game Editor.
FM27 lets you manage from a wheelchair
This is the addition that sparked the most conversation. In the Mobility tab, FM27 lets you create a manager who uses a wheelchair, in this case a powered one.
(Image: Sports Interactive)
The choice does not stay on the creation screen. Your manager appears this way in several parts of the game, from the start screen to matchday cutscenes. SI has also rebuilt the trophy-lift podiums so everyone can reach them. In other words, if you win the league, the celebration is yours too.
Bigger text and new scaling modes
Accessibility does not stop at the wheelchair. In FM27, font sizes have been increased. The interface scaling modes are also renamed Large, Medium and Small.
There is a catch, though: these modes only appear on QHD or 4K monitors, that is, at 1440p or higher. On Reddit, the question about Full HD monitors was one of the first to come up. SI replied that the modes were designed for those screen sizes. Even so, it has started looking into opening them up to 1080p screens and will keep players updated.
FM27 newgens get a new face
Now for the part that matters to anyone who spends hours scouting. FM27 newgens, the players the game creates as your career goes on, get improvements to skin, colour, hair and overall presentation.
(Image: Sports Interactive)
SI also worked on the camera and lighting. Angles and lighting are stronger, so profiles are better lit. On top of that, there are more facial poses and positional adjustments. The idea is that every player, including your rivals’, has a look of their own. So that five-star potential youngster no longer looks like everyone else.
If you are already hunting for talent for your next save, have a look at our list of possible wonderkids for the next game.
Two warnings from SI
As always, the images come from a development build, so they may change before launch. Some information is also still awaiting approval from rights holders.
What comes next for FM27
SI’s next post promises to be meatier. According to the Reddit thread, it will cover:
- 2D match engine upgrades.
- In-Game Editor improvements.
- More licensed competitions and updated formats.
- Changes to how information is delivered and to navigation.
- Fixture management and scheduling closer to the real world.
- Tweaks to staff advice.
How the community reacted
When we read SI’s thread on r/footballmanagergames, it had 208 upvotes, 88% approval and more than 350 comments. It was one of the harshest reactions in this series of FM27 deep dives.
What people liked
The wheelchair had some passionate defenders. One of the most upvoted comments recalled a wheelchair user who, on YouTube, was excited to finally feel represented in the only game they are able to play. Others noted that newgens are clearly better than in FM26, and some welcomed the return of the favourite club. SI’s answer about 1080p monitors also went down well.
What raises doubts
- Newgen faces. Even with the improvements, many still find the faces odd, with “dead eyes”. Several insist FM15 newgens looked better. One person joked that their 16-year-old prospect will look like an accountant with 30 years on the job.
- Why so much on the manager? Another common criticism is that you barely see your manager. They show up on the 3D matchday, in news items and at trophy lifts, and not much else. So some people do not understand why so much time went into this area.
- Looks are not enough. Many would rather hear about how newgens develop and how attributes are distributed than about what they look like.
- Priorities. After a difficult FM26, part of the community wanted news about the match engine and FM27’s gameplay, not clothing.
What SI answered
In the thread, SI answered the question about scaling modes. They were designed for QHD and 4K monitors. Even so, given the positive reaction, the team has started work to try to bring them to 1080p screens.
Our take on FM27
We understand the frustration. Long-time players want to see SI focused on what happens on the pitch. This article is mostly about what surrounds it. Newgen faces also continue to divide opinion, and with good reason.
Still, some things here make sense. The wheelchair is a small detail for many and a huge one for some. So we see nothing wrong with it being there. Bigger text is good news too, especially if it reaches Full HD monitors.
As for newgens, we spend our lives looking for wonderkids. For us, looks matter, but development matters far more. We hope SI’s next FM27 post, with the 2D engine and the In-Game Editor, brings more substance.
The usual caveat applies: all of this comes from a development build. Only by playing will we find out what really changes.
