The difference in approaches between the two companies recently surfaced in a very public way when, during the Microsoft vs FTC trial, in his testimony, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan called Game Pass “value-destructive”, saying that the service is viewed by publishers in that light “unanimously”.

One developer that has supported Game Pass consistently that does not agree, however, is Football Manager studio Sports Interactive. Speaking in a recent interview with Eurogamer, studio head Miles Jacobson touched on the issue and said that Sports Interactive would not have agreed to a Game Pass deal if it wasn’t profitable from a business viewpoint.

“We run quite a tight ship, and I like our studio to be profitable – Sega took a big gamble on us all those years ago, and their shareholders – however weird it might sound – should be rewarded for that,” Jacobson said. “So we don’t tend to do deals that are bad for any parts of the business.”

Jacobson went on to explain that Football Manager’s success on Game Pass has allowed Sports Interactive to keep expanding the franchise in other ways as well, including attracting players that had never played it before, as well as helping the studio get a better grip on the demands of the live service space.

“The simple fact is Game Pass and Apple Arcade have brought new people to the franchise that never played it before,” he said. “I’m confident enough in our games to believe we will now have those consumers for a long time, whatever platforms we’re on. Fiscally, it makes sense. Creatively, it makes sense.

“Learnings-wise, it makes sense as well. We were looking at games as a service… Game Pass and Apple Arcade are games as a service platforms that we’re in. So you’re learning a lot more about that audience as well as you’re going along. And there’s no way we would have reached five million players on FM23 without the audiences on those platforms – with PlayStation being an added bonus on top, because we’ve done much better on PlayStation than we were expecting.”

Speaking specifically about Ryan’s aforementioned comments on Game Pass, Jacobson voiced his disagreement, saying that though every studio and company will have a different outlook, Sports Interactive’s doesn’t necessarily align with Ryan’s comments.

“Every studio has to make decisions themselves, but I don’t recognise some of the quotes that I see from other studios, and depositions,” he said. “I don’t recognise that in our business. It’s all very sunny for us.”

For a number of years in a row, Football Manager’s yearly instalments have been available via Game Pass, and presumably, the same will be true for this year’s title as well. Though concrete details are yet to be confirmed, Football Manager 2024 is expected to launch sometime in November.

Developer Sports Interactive and publisher Sega have announced that Football Manager 2023 will launch for PS5 on February 1. Sports Interactive says that a free transfer update will go live for all PS5 owners once the transfer window closes- so if you start a career mode save before that, you’re going to miss out on any transfers that happen between then and the window’s closure.

Upon its launch, the game will offer a 20% discount to all PlayStation Plus subscribers. The offer will remain valid until Tuesday, February 14th at 15:00 GMT.

In our review of Football Manager 2023, we awarded it a score of 9/10, saying, “Football Manager 2023 might be a small improvement over its immediate predecessor, but it’s still an incredibly accomplished management sim that you can easily sink hundreds of hours into.” Read the full review through here.

Football Manager 2023 is currently available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

While there may have been some concern about Sonic Frontiers launching so close to Ragnarok, it’s fared pretty well. The 3D platformer debuted in fourth place with five percent more boxed copies sold in its first week than Sonic Forces. The PS5 version made up 40 percent of sales, followed by the Nintendo Switch version at 34 percent, Xbox at 14 percent, and PS4 at 12 percent.

Other new releases include Football Manager 2023 in 11th place, with physical sales down by 18 percent compared to last year’s game. Given its status on PC, digital sales could make up the difference. Stray’s PS4 version received a physical release and charted in 23rd place. Square Enix’s Tactics Ogre: Reborn debuted in 24th place.

Interestingly, the increase in PS5 consoles sold helped raise sales for Horizon Forbidden West. It experienced a 141 percent sales increase week-on-week and rose to seventh place. Nintendo Switch game sales also rose, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe rising by 34 percent, Nintendo Switch Sports by 19 percent, Splatoon 3 by 22 percent, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons by 50 percent.

Check out the Gfk’s top-ten best-selling physical titles for the week ending November 12th below.

It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that has any experience with the franchise that Football Manager 2023 keeps that trend going. This is a mind-bogglingly comprehensive management sim, one that rewards you more the more time you put into it, and diving into the weeds and getting to grips with all of its systems and nuances remains a thoroughly addictive experience. The level of control it offers over every tiny, little aspect of managing your club of choice is every football fan’s dream come true, and tuning every single one of those aspects – from training schedules to scouting programs, from transfer policies to youth development – remains an extremely enjoyable experience.

"The level of control Football Manager 2023 offers over every tiny, little aspect of managing your club of choice is every football fan’s dream come true, and tuning every single one of those aspects – from training schedules to scouting programs, from transfer policies to youth development – remains an extremely enjoyable experience."

If, however, you’re looking for truly significant changes and improvements over last year’s game, Football Manager 2023 might leave you wanting. If you have Football Manager 2022, which itself was already quite an iterative upgrade over its predecessor, making the leap to this year’s game might not be much of a necessity, which feels like an even smaller upgrade.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there are no improvements and changes to speak of whatsoever, and minor though they might be in the grand scheme of things, they are well-implemented (for the most part), and in their own way, they do add to the experience. The shiniest one that’ll attract the most attention is obviously the addition of the official UEFA license, which means the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League are now officially in the game, with all the presentation, logos, and panache that you’d expect to accompany them. Of course, being a long-suffering Manchester United fan, I had to spend a season in the horrifying Europa League before being able to get back into the upper echelons of European football, but if you fancy yourself a mercenary manager like Antonio Conte, you could always start off with the likes of Manchester City or PSG. That massive transfer and wage budget isn’t going to hurt either, eh?

Another instantly apparent change is how much better the actual matches look. Granted, this has never really been a strength of the Football Manager series, but it’s fair to say that it’s a flaw that most series fans have been willing to overlook for years on end, seeing as the matchday experience isn’t really what Football Manager is about. Even so, Football Manager 2023 has made some noticeable improvements to the animations of the on-pitch players, so goalkeeper saves, mazy runs down the wing, players receiving the ball in the air, and other actions look much more natural and fluid. Of course, at the end of the day, matches in Football Manager 2023 still look like something that would have been called visually outdated back in 2002, but again, it serves its purpose.

"The big change that’ll attract the most attention is obviously the addition of the official UEFA license, which means the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League are now officially in the game, with all the presentation, logos, and panache that you’d expect to accompany them."

Another change that the game touts when it comes to the on-pitch action is improved and dynamic AI. This, however, has been a little hard to judge for me, and I can’t really tell you one way or another how much of an impact these tweaks make. Opposing managers in Football Manager 2023 now dynamically make changes to their tactics based on what your tactics are and how you are playing, and every so often, the game lets you know that that’s what’s happening. Opposition teams making changes to counter your tactics has always been a thing in Football Manager though, and beyond making that more transparent, it’s hard for me to say if these new improvements have changed that in any significant way.

Coming back to behind-the-scenes stuff (which is where the meat and potatoes of any Football Manager experience really lies), Football Manager 2023 adds a new Squad Planner, which is a neat addition, even if it isn’t exactly an essential one. This gives you a holistic view of your squad, giving you easy-to-digest information on a single screen about what your options are in every position of the pitch, even letting you filter through to the next season to see which players will no longer be available, in turn leaving certain positions light. Specifically when it comes to planning future transfers and identifying which areas of your squad you need to strengthen, the Squad Planner comes in quite handy.

Meanwhile, interacting and working with your club’s board of directors also sees an added layer in this year’s game. Working with the board and mutually agreeing on objectives and then working towards those objectives while wrestling with varying degrees of financial and infrastructure restrictions has always been a core component of the Football Manager experience, and Football Manager 2023 adds a new wrinkle to that in the form of the new Supporter Confidence System. This is exactly what it sounds like- just like the board, your club’s supporters will have their own wishes and demands, and based on how you’re performing to those expectations, your relationship with the supporters will vary. The harsh reality of the world is that supporters often don’t have too much influence on the board’s decision, and while that is largely still the case in Football Manager 2023, it’s an addition to adds to the experience’s authenticity. Besides, it’s obviously still very satisfying to have supporters that are happy with how you’re running the club and how your team is playing and performing on the pitch.

"From managing your squad and keeping your players happy to developing the next batch of wonderkids into a team of world-beaters, the experience of building up your club and transforming its fortunes remains as rewarding and engaging as ever. In fact, multiple iterative improvements and tweaks come together to make Football Manager 2023 the best game in the series."

Summed up, the story of Football Manager 2023 is one that might put the game in a strange position for series veterans. It’s an incredible game, and there’s no way that fans won’t get hundreds of hours of addictive enjoyment out of it. From managing your squad and keeping your players happy to developing the next batch of wonderkids into a team of world-beaters, the experience of building up your club and transforming its fortunes remains as rewarding and engaging as ever. In fact, multiple iterative improvements and tweaks come together to make Football Manager 2023 the best game in the series. At the same time, however, this is also very much a case of diminishing returns. The gap between yearly FM instalments is feeling smaller than ever, so even though this year’s game is an accomplished management sim in more ways than one, it might not necessarily be one that you absolutely have to get if you’ve already got its immediate predecessor in your library.

This game was reviewed on PC.

On November 3rd, 2D side-scrolling adventure title Ghost Song will be available on consoles, PC, and the cloud. This is followed by Football Manager 2023 for PC and Football Manager 2023 Console for Xbox, cloud, and PC on November 8th. The critically acclaimed Return to Monkey Island will also be playable on the same day for consoles, cloud and PC.

Vampire Survivors launches on November 10th for consoles, followed by Obsidian Entertainment’s Pentiment on November 15th for consoles, PC, and cloud, and Somerville for consoles and PC.

Football Manager 2022 on PC and Football Manager 2022 Xbox Edition will leave the service on November 8th. Check out the remaining titles that will be gone on November 15th:

• Art of Rally (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Fae Tactics (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Next Space Rebel (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• One Step from Eden (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Supraland (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Here are the 15 biggest games to look forward to in November.

The Chant

“Weekend getaway to a spiritual retreat turned to hellish survival against cosmic monstrosities,” isn’t the worst description for Brass Token’s The Chant. After a rift to The Gloom, a dimension of negative energy, opens and various horrors take over a peaceful island, it’s up to Jess to collect weapons like salt and incense, craft items, and harness spiritual energy to fight back. And also run away, because flight is sometimes just better than fighting.

Along with managing her spirit, players must also care for Jess’s physical and mental health – these will influence her survival and abilities throughout the story. Then there are the other survivors, slowly giving in to the negative energy perpetrating the island. Can they be saved? We’ll find out when The Chant launches on November 3rd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

God of War Ragnarok

Over four years since its predecessor debuted, selling millions of copies over a few days, and three years past in-game, the sequel to God of War (2018) is finally upon us. The story sees Odin and Asgard preparing for Ragnarok while Kratos and Atreus avoid the conflict. Of course, it’s not long before they’re involved, battling the likes of Freya, the Valkyrie, the Einherjar, and the mighty Thor himself.

A lot has been said about the experience, with reports extolling its massive size and the development team claiming it’s bigger than they envisioned. Nine realms to explore, new shields and abilities to equip, an expanded combat system, more verticality, larger levels, more enemy variety – the list of improvements goes and goes. On November 9th, the world will finally have a chance to play it on PS4 and PS5.

Sonic Frontiers

If nothing else, you have to admire the guts of Sega releasing Sonic Frontiers just one day before God of War Ragnarok. Nevertheless, those looking for a brand-new 3D platformer to dive into should find promise in Sonic’s latest adventure. After his friends disappear during a hunt for the Chaos Emeralds and he delves into Cyber Space, Sonic finds himself on the Starfall Isles. This archipelago of five different islands is filled with mysterious mechanical beings, and a new enemy named Sage also emerges.

Sonic Frontiers goes for an open-world-esque approach for its exploration, with the different islands presenting various platforming challenges, puzzles, and Guardians to fight. Upon accessing a portal, he can venture into Cyber Space with levels inspired by older titles. Sonic Frontiers launches on November 8th for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch, and is undoubtedly the biggest Sonic title yet.

Football Manager 2023

Another year, another promising new Football Manager title from Sports Interactive. Football Manager 2023 marks the series’ return to PlayStation but also features improvements to its scouting, squad planning, AI managers, and more. The UEFA Europa League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa Conference League are all fully licensed, and new features like Supporter Confidence and Dynamic Manager Timeline promise to bring you closer to the sport than ever.

Football Manager 2023 is out on November 8th for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, and Apple Arcade, along with launching day one on Game Pass.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Bloody Ties

Techland has been updating Dying Light 2 Stay Human regularly since launch, and on November 10th, its first paid DLC Bloody Ties will release on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Aiden enters a tournament to take on various challenging foes in Carnage Hall for fame and rewards. Things aren’t what they seem, though (surprise, surprise), and you’ll soon be investigating the tournament’s true purpose. In addition to a new story, Bloody Ties also provides new gear, a new weapon in the Shield Glove, and arena missions called Spectacles. You can also fight new mutated foes in Arena Challenges to truly test your limits.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Yes, it’s another Pokemon game on the Nintendo Switch for the fourth year in a row. Nevertheless, Pokemon Scarlet and Violent look genuinely interesting. Instead of a regional approach like Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Paldea is a seamless open world. As a student of Naranja or Uva Academy, the player participates in a treasure hunt with the freedom to go just about anywhere. All the tropes of a Pokemon title are here – an enthusiastic rival Nemona; Professors Sada and Turo; and even new Legendary Pokemon like Koraidon and Miraidon that serve as mounts when exploring the region.

In terms of story, players can choose from three different routes – Path of Legends to locate the Herba Mystica while fighting Titan Pokemon; Victory Road to challenge eight Gym Leaders and eventually the Pokemon League Champion; and Starfall Street, where they must battle against Team Star. With several new Pokemon, new moves and items, and Terastallization providing new properties for each Pokemon, Scarlet and Violet could be the best 3D titles in the series yet. They’re out on November 18th for Nintendo Switch.

Evil West

Third-person shooter meets stylish beat ’em up combat in the Weird Wild West with Flying Wild Hog’s Evil West. As Jesse Rentier, players must battle vampires in the American frontier. This is done in several violent ways, from firearms to a gauntlet that can electrocute enemies. Throughout the campaign (which supports co-op), you’ll discover new weapons, unlock new perks and upgrades, and ultimately save the country. Evil West is out on November 22nd for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC.

WRC Generations

Originally slated to launch last month, KT Racing’s WRC Generations was delayed and now launches on November 3rd for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Career Mode, multiplayer, Quickplay and other modes return along with Split Screen for local play. Leagues Mode is new and involves players completing different events every week and receiving a ranking.

In addition to new Hybrid Cars, major revamps have been made to the progression and Team Creation while cross-platform play has also been implemented. As the developer’s last game under the license (for now), WRC Generations could see it going out on a high note.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me

A documentary crew is invited to a recreation of serial H.H. Holmes’ infamous “Murder Castle” by a mysterious recluse – what could go wrong? Not every scary situation in The Dark Pictures Anthology is as avoidable as this, but I digress since The Devil in Me is going for something different with its killing rooms. You’ll still have to make decisions that can influence whether the central cast lives or dies.

But this time, there are more movement options like running, climbing, and jumping, an inventory for managing items, puzzles that require tools, and more. This is in addition to online mode and five-player local co-op. As the season finale, The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me should end things with a venerable bang when it launches on November 18th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (PC)

Warhammer: Vermintide developer Fatshark’s latest title leans more into the sci-fi Warhammer 40K universe, eschewing hack and slash for more first-person shooting (but still having some hacking and slashing). It’s set in the Hive City of Tertium on Atoma Prime, which has seen an influx of Chaos forces. As a “reject,” one must undertake missions across various maps, working their way up to better weapons and gear while opting for tougher difficulties.

Four classes – Psyker, Zealot, Ogryn, and Veteran – are available, each with different subclasses to specialize in different play styles (like the Skullbreaker Ogryn being more melee-focused). It will sound pretty familiar to Vermintide fans, which isn’t the worst considering how much fun co-op was in that series. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is out on November 30th for PC, with the Xbox Series X/S version launching “shortly after.”

The Entropy Centre

Amid all the action-packed titles releasing this month, it’s nice to have something more laid-back and cerebral. Stubby Games’ The Entropy Centre takes place after an extinction event seemingly wipes out mankind and as perhaps the last one alive, you venture to the heart of the Entropy Centre, which orbits the Earth in a space station, for answers.

The first-person puzzle-solving and time manipulation will look familiar, but Stubby Games puts an interesting spin on this by having you find the solution and then rewind time to solve the puzzle in reverse. The Entropy Centre is out on November 3rd for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC.

Gungrave G.O.R.E.

Announced back in December 2017, Gungrave G.O.R.E. has been a long time coming. It’s out on November 22nd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, and PC, and launching day one on Game Pass. Set after Gungrave VR, it follows the Gunslinger of Resurrection, who is out for revenge.

Along with third-person shooting, there’s also close-quarters combat and brawling, and various types of enemies like mechs, zombies, and more to take out. Despite the long development cycle, it remains intriguing and worth keeping an eye on.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PC)

If you’ve already played Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered on PC, then Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a no-brainer. Taking place one year later, it sees Miles Morales as Spider-Man, protecting Harlem from the conflict between Roxxon Energy Corporation and the Tinkerer’s Underground. While many of the same environments and gameplay elements remain, Miles has unique abilities like Venom Blast and Camouflage to even the odds.

There are also new gadgets like the Gravity Well, Holo-Drone, and more to further spice up the gameplay. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is out on November 18th for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, and while it’s not as long as the previous game, there’s still a great story, side content, and suits to collect.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn

Tactics Ogre: Reborn is coming to PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC and serves as a remaster of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. Even with the upscaled HD visuals and artwork, re-recorded soundtrack and fully-voiced cutscenes, there is so much here to make it feel like a brand-new game.

Random encounters are gone, replaced with Training Battles; skills have been retuned while Finishers now use MP; Buff Cards throughout different battles provide positive and negative effects; new Charms provide different bonuses; and much more. You can even rewind actions within the last ten turns in case of an unfavorable outcome. With its numerous classes and skills, incredible branching story, and various quality-of-life improvements, it may end up a dark horse among some of the bigger releases this year.

Harvestella

The world, governed by four crystals called Seaslight, periodically suffers the effects of the Quietus, which ruins crops and brings death. As the duration of the Quietus increases, you control Ein and must figure out how to stop it.

Along the way, you’ll visit various towns, each with unique crops, materials, and recipes, and interact with many characters (including Aria, who is seemingly from the future), fish, craft and more. Maintaining a farm to fund your mission is one thing – you also need to venture out and fight monsters to make progress with the investigation. Good thing there are 12 different classes, each with unique weapons and abilities to assist in this.

Releasing on November 4th for Nintendo Switch and PC, Harvestella could fill that Rune Factory-sized hole.