Miles Jacobson

London (November 7th 2007) – Sports Interactive and SEGA Europe Ltd today announced that Football Manager™ 2008 Handheld, the latest incarnation of the most in depth, and best selling, handheld football management game in the world, has gone gold and will be released on the 30th of November.

Football Manager™ 2008 Handheld will contain a host of new features including a brand new skin, eagerly awaited customisable tactics, enhanced player interaction and the addition of reserve squads, which doubles the number of players at the manager’s disposal to retain it’s crown as the most accessible football management game on the market.

Fans of the series are able to take their favourite game out with them on the move, to the pub, and even to football matches. Players can use their well-thought tactics to take on other player’s teams using the PSP’s wireless function for a real test of who is the best manager, using any team available in the game, or their own team from their own saved game.

Football Manager™2008 Handheld will be released across Europe for Sony PSP on the 30th of November in English, Spanish, French and Italian.

For more information about Football Manager™ 2008 Handheld and all other Football Manager™ titles please visit www.sigames.com or www.footballmanager.net. For assets please visit www.sega-press.com. For more information on all SEGA titles please visit www.sega-europe.com.

Younger Crayola

Are we to take it that there are no new leagues in the game? Not even any new divisions?

Marc Vaughan

There aren't any additional countries added into the game (ie. no selectable nations).

There are some more leagues in Germany because of the restructure that takes place after the first season where Third Div & Regional West are both added ...

There are also a few new Cup competitions in some nations such as the Conference League Cup and Portuguese League Cup.

Vane

Didn't it go gold some time ago. It's the marketing men (and women) who've been holding things up!

Pocket Gamer has some new screenies.

Younger Crayola

Shame that there are no new leagues. There are a few lower tier European leagues that have been virtual mainstays of the CM series since CM3 that I enjoy for their added challenge - the Scandinavian leagues are great fun to manage in. I was also hoping that the remaining UK and Irish leagues would find their way into the game with this iteration.

Not just so I can manage my local side, but also because I love the two-tiered approach these leagues bring, as you can dominate the local league whilst trying to establish yourself in Europe - be good in England, and you're good in Europe virtually by default. As it is, we're largely left with Scotland or Belgium, which has always been an odd inclusion anyhow.

Marc Vaughan

As you might have guessed from the league comments I'm allowed to gossip about features and suchlike now also

Main things are:

* Flexible tactics editing (ie. you can customise tactics by dragging players around etc.)
* Improvements to editing (editing of managers and also changes to how 'failures' during reading an edit file are handled)
* Live League Table during matches
* Live scores during matches
* Player interaction (Praise & Criticism)
* Improvements to the speed of the game engine (making it much faster to process matches now).
* Reserve teams (giving much larger squads for huamsn )
* Updated database and competitions from around the world.
* Additional Contract stuff.
* Position display screen (ala FM PC)
* New skin (skin from prior version is retained and available for people who prefer that one)
* Various minor improvements to gameplay either via. improved UI, gameplay or just tweaking of existing items.

(and yeah I've undoubtably forgotten a fair bit bits and pieces - hence the 'cover all' at the end - this is just a top of the head list - I'm not a PR person so bear with me, I am however happy to answer any questions people might have now I'm allowed to)

Younger Crayola

Has the radar chart been added from the PC version? If not, make that top of the list for FMH 2009, please (well, second after new leagues).

It perfectly suits the handheld game, I reckon.

Vane

I take it that it will be much harder to for low/ medium rep clubs to sign young superstars this time?

Marc Vaughan

The positions screen (showing where a player can play in detail) has been put in FMH, but the radar one hasn't - if enough people want it then its something we can obviously consider for the next version.

Marc Vaughan

Yes.