'Football Manager Live' ready for kick off

Sports Interactive has announced details of a brand new massively multiplayer online game based on the best-selling PC soccer management game, Football Manager.

Football Manager Live will allow players to build a club from scratch and compete against friends and rivals.

The game will offer mini-leagues to play amongst friends, and allow gamers to bid in player auctions and compete in live matches 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Matches will take place in real-time with a range of tactical options for managers to control as they follow all the action via a 2D match engine. In addition, the in-game chat option will allow managers to exchange comments on the virtual touchline, whilst other aspiring managers can view their competitors and learn their tactics.

Away from the stadium, users will get to control their club in a host of different ways. This ranges from the basics of choosing the club name, colours, badge and pitch size; right through to the nitty-gritty of balancing the finances and improving their squad by buying and selling players using an auction style transfer system.

“With Football Manager Live, we're ripping up the script that says how online football management games should work," said Oliver Collyer. "We're creating something that is fun, challenging and sociable.”

“Imagine a cross between Football Manager, fantasy sports and auctions sites and you are part of the way to understanding Football Manager Live,” said Miles Jacobson, Managing Director of Sports Interactive. “It’s great to be able to announce the game, and we can’t wait to see the reaction to the beta when it launches next month.”

Football Manager Live is due for release spring 2008.