Miles Jacobson Admits FM26 Missed the Mark

Miles Jacobson, the head of Sports Interactive (SI), released an honest review of Football Manager 2026.

Usually, studio directors only talk about the good things, but this time, Miles is being open about what went wrong.

I tried to read between the lines to see what this means for the players and the future of the game.

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The UI and Navigation Problems

The biggest complaint about FM26 has been the new look of the game (the User Interface). Miles admitted that they knew it wasn't popular with everyone.

It’s also clear many were frustrated by the changes to navigation and the loss of immersion compared to previous editions.

What this means:
SI tried to make the game work the same way on computers, consoles, and phones. Miles admits this was "detrimental" (bad) for many players. He basically says they tried to be too clever and it made the game harder to enjoy.

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Why the Game Felt Different

Miles explained that FM26 was a huge challenge because they moved to a new engine (Unity). He admitted they had to cancel some of their biggest ideas because they were too difficult to finish in time.

We’d rolled back some of our more overambitious changes in FM26.

What this means:
The version of FM26 we are playing is actually "simpler" than what SI originally planned. They had to simplify the game just to get it released.

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Taking Responsibility

In a moment of honesty, Miles said that the game is still not as good as it should be.

You expect nothing less than excellence... we haven’t got to that level. This is something I take full responsibility for.

What this means:
He isn't making excuses. He knows the fans are disappointed because FM26 didn't feel like a finished, "excellent" product at launch. He is promising that the studio is changing how they work to fix this.

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What is the Future for FM?

Miles says the studio is now focusing on three main things: the game world, navigation, and the UI.

Immersion is the main element we're focused on... We are looking to elevate all of them.

What this means:
The next game (hints at FM27) will focus on making you feel "inside" the football world again. They want to make the menus easier to use and bring back the immersion of the older games that fans missed.

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Conclusion

Miles is asking for trust. He knows that FM26 was a difficult start to a new era, but he believes the new engine (Unity) will allow them to fix the game faster than before.

FM26 is far from being perfect, but SI is finally admitting where they failed. Now, we have to wait and see if they can turn these words into actions. I personally feel that the next iteration will be pivotal for the franchise.

What do you think? Is this honest enough for you, or do you need to see the results first?