C3: Could you please tell our readers a little about your background and role at Sports Interactive?
Miles Jacobson: My name is Miles Jacobson and I am Studio Director at Sports Interactive, who are best known for the Football Manager series of game, and the first 10 Championship Manager games. My job is many sided, but, basically, if one of our games isn’t good, our marketing is poor, or a game doesn’t sell, it’s my fault, and if it does really well, it’s because of the great team we have here at SI and with our now parent company, Sega.
C3: Why do you think Championship Manager initially became so popular?
MJ: Anyone who is a big fan of a team has said, as some time or another “I can do better than that” about a manager. Our games give you the chance to see if you can!
C3: Was there any fear that when the CM name stayed with Eidos after the split, the fan-base would not follow you?
MJ: Of course it was a risk at the time, but we were well prepared and proved a lot of people wrong – gameplay is more important than any brand, and our community have been brilliant at helping to spread the word, to ensure that Football Manager is the market leader in the same way that our previous titles were in the genre.
C3: How much control does Sega have over your development process or are you basically left to your own devices?
MJ: We are left to our own devices – our development team works very different to most, as we have no designers at the company, with everyone having equal input over feature suggestions, including the team here, the community, and Sega, but once the ideas are given, we decide what goes in, and we get on with it. As long as we continue to deliver on time, and make games that people like, the freedom will continue.
C3: What are the main improvements in FM 2007 over last year’s game?
MJ: There are well over 100 new features in the game, which is the most new features we’ve ever had in a single version! These range from real innovations in the genre such as full player interaction, a new scouting module and feeder clubs, through to lots of work on the interface to give rhe user more information, but presenting it in an easier way so that it doesn’t feel overwhelming for new players.
C3: FM 2006 came under some criticism for being too easy once you picked up a few big name players. Has this been rectified for FM 2007?
MJ: It’s a lot harder to pick up bigger name players – we constantly look at how the football world is changing, and looked at massive clubs being unable to sign all the players they want, so have attempted to replicate that. With anything though, if you do end up with the top 20 players in the world in one squad, it’s going to be easier, the same way as if you have the most powerful weapons in some games, those become easier too.
C3: This year you used MySpace to keep fans fully updated on the new game. Do you think it is more important these days to keep gamers informed and updated with the game as it’s created instead of the more traditional press releases prior to launch?
MJ: I think all routes are important. We’ve always embraced ways to talk directly to our customers, with our message board and website having over 350,000 unique users a month, and myspace was done as an experiment, and worked really well. With so many new features, it was going to take half a dozen press releases to announce them all and get coverage, and last year we did 4 press releases, of which only 2 got coverage, so we had to look at methods to get the new info out there, whilst also providing the specialist press with all the info and very early first look, preview and review code so that they could play it for themselves.
C3: This year sees the addition of feeder clubs. How are these being implemented? Also, how has the scouting feature been renovated?
MJ: Feeder, and parent clubs, are pretty easy to get and use – you go to your board and ask for one! There are loads of different types of arrangement you can have, from basic ones like being able to loan players from or to a club, through to commercial arrangements.
Scouting is completely revamped, and has a knowledge system, so you get more information on a player if you have a better network of scouts in an area. The better your scouts, the more accurate the information, and the more knowledge, the quicker it all happens. You no longer just get information about stats, but also hidden stuff, like personalities and the owning clubs willingness to sell the player.
C3: Does the new “player interaction” feature lead to any negative consequences with the other club(s) or FA? And was this inspired by any real-life footballing incident in particular?
MJ: Not with the FA, but it can make or break relationships with other clubs, much in the same way as manager interaction does. It was inspired by the football world, rather than any one incident, but there are loads of different ways to interact with players, not just the controversial ones!
C3: The entire interface seems a great deal slicker and more intuitive than last year. How has it been made more user-friendly?
MJ: We found some magic beans down the back of the sofa, planted them, they grew into a beanstalk, which I then climbed, where a very friendly giant told me how he found the game a bit overwhelming, and where it could be improved. And we played more console games and learnt from them too.
C3: Do you feel management games on consoles require a different approach to that of the PC versions.
MJ: All consoles are different – the PSP game, and handheld games in general, do need to be approached in a different way, as they are more instant experiences, so need to be more pick up and play. Current gen consoles need to be approached different due to the lack of memory. With X360 & potentially PS3, it’s easier to do a “full” game.
C3: As a strong PC supporter, how do you think the format will fare against the increasingly powerful and innovative home systems?
MJ: There are a lot more PC’s out there than consoles. As long as you aim your specs at the right point in the market, the PC market will be fine.
C3: What are your views on the next generation of consoles in general?
MJ: With Xbox 360, I spend more time playing Live Arcade titles than boxed titles, but it seems to have something for just about everyone. It’s way to early to say anything about PS3. The Wii I don’t see as a next gen console, but as a really fun gaming toy, and I can’t wait for it to come out. It might even get me fit!
C3: Previously you have been quoted as expressing interest in the Nintendo Wii. Considering this, and Sega’s close ties with Nintendo, will you look to bring a version of Football Manager to the next generation platform?
MJ: I don’t think the system has enough memory to handle the full Football Manager experience, unfortunately.
C3: Or perhaps any other SI-developed game?
MJ: As I’ve said before, we’d love to look at the Wii and see if there is anything we can do on it.
C3: Following your comments in the interview with CVG was there any contact from Nintendo, or has SI been in touch with the company to try and sort something out?
MJ: The only contact I’ve had with Nintendo since was an invitation to a party they sponsored the other night, and meeting someone from their PR agency on a plane.
C3: You previously stated that the Wii controller could be used to interact with players, showing them your opinion of their performance, or even use it as a pointer/cursor (like a PC mouse). The latter idea especially seems like a perfect match for a PC title such as Football Manager. Has any thought gone into other ways the system could be used for FM?
MJ: Did I say that? Blimey – that sounds really clever! There’s all kinds of things we can imagine doing with the Wii controller.
C3: Working a football management title onto a handheld might compromise certain features, but we have seen Premier Manager on a system as low-spec as the GBA. Surely SI must be considering the DS at least, especially with its PC-like touch-screen capabilities?
MJ: Football Manager Handheld has done pretty well, but again, it’s a case of memory with the DS. We’d have to cut quite a bit out. But again, we’d love have a look at the DS to see what we can do with it.
C3: Where do you foresee the Football Manager series going in the future? And would consideration go into continual updates via an online service such as Nintendo’s WiiConnect24?
MJ: Continual updates are pretty pointless for our games, as you’d have to start a new game for anything to take effect, but we will continue our transfer window free updates. As for where the series is going in the future, our competitors would love to know, so I’ll announce it next Summer !
C3: Finally, any thoughts on who will win the Champions League and UEFA Cup this year?
MJ: There are so many great teams in both tournaments that it’s difficult to pick one out – I’d love both to be won by British clubs, but there are a few very strong stumbling blocks, and no one should underestimate Lyon. Or Real Madrid. Or Barcelona. Err – let’s just say that I won’t be putting a bet on anyone!
