Sports Interactive

Sports Interactive (SI) is the London studio that makes Football Manager, founded in 1994 by brothers Paul and Oliver Collyer after their Championship Manager, and owned by SEGA since 2006. It makes FM27, out Nov 10, 2026, and is led by Studio Director Miles Jacobson.

Sports Interactive, usually called SI, is the studio that makes Football Manager: founded in 1994 by Paul and Oliver Collyer, owned by SEGA since Apr 4, 2006, and based in Chiswick, west London. Before Football Manager the brothers made Championship Manager, whose name stayed with Eidos when SI left in 2003. SI's Studio Director is Miles Jacobson, and its current game is Football Manager 27, out Nov 10, 2026, published by SEGA.

Quick facts

Founded	1994, by Paul and Oliver Collyer
Based	Chiswick Business Park, London W4
Owner	SEGA (SEGA Europe), since Apr 4, 2006
Studio Director	Miles Jacobson
Staff	More than 290 full-time (Nov 2023)
Researchers	About 1,400 (Nov 2023)
Main series	Football Manager, since 2004
Before that	Championship Manager, 1992 to 2004
Current game	FM27, Nov 10, 2026

Sources: Game Developer, Apr 4, 2006; Sports Interactive, Nov 1, 2026; SEGA, Nov 6, 2023.

Who makes Football Manager?

0:09 Sports Interactive Limited develops it and SEGA Europe Limited publishes it, as the footballmanager.com footer names them. The studio's registered office is Building 12, Chiswick Business Park, 566 Chiswick High Road, London. Its Community Manager, Chris Groves, fronts FM27's video reveals.

Origins: two brothers in Shropshire

Paul and Oliver "Ov" Collyer began work on a football management game in 1985 at home in Shropshire, Retro Gamer's history in PC Gamer records. It took six years; Championship Manager was released in 1992 for the Amiga and Atari ST, published by Domark. Electronic Arts had turned it down for lacking "live action". The brothers set up Sports Interactive in 1994, and the series grew through Championship Manager 2, 3 and the famous 01/02 (see Championship Manager).

The split with Eidos

Domark became Eidos, and by 2003 the relationship had broken down. Eidos kept the Championship Manager name; SI kept the engine, the data and everything else needed to make the games. Speaking in 2012, Jacobson said SI had felt it lacked respect at Eidos and wanted higher royalties, while Eidos's Ian Livingstone said he set up Beautiful Game Studios as insurance in case SI left, which made SI leave. SI signed a five-year publishing deal with SEGA in Feb 2004, and Football Manager 2005 came out that November.

SEGA since 2006

SEGA Holdings Europe announced on Apr 4, 2006 that it had bought Sports Interactive, when the first two Football Manager games had sold more than 1.5 million copies combined. Jacobson, then Managing Director, said SEGA "felt like 'home'". The deal also covered Eastside Hockey Manager and Out of the Park Baseball, and came in the same buying spree as The Creative Assembly; Engadget reported Secret Level's purchase the same day. Every Football Manager since has been published by SEGA (Football Manager Games in Order).

How big is Sports Interactive?

SI had about 110 employees in early 2018 and, by Nov 2023, more than 290 full-time staff and about 1,400 researchers, the network of scouts around the world who rate real players for the database. That network, and the clubs that have used its data, are on Football Manager in Real Football. No newer headcount has been published as of Nov 1, 2026.

Recent history: Football Manager 25, 26 and 27

0:00 The last few years have been SI's hardest. Football Manager 25, its first game on Unity, was canceled on Feb 7, 2025, the first year without a new game since 2004 (Football Manager 25). Football Manager 26 arrived on Nov 4, 2025, selling fast but drawing the series' lowest Metascore, 68. In May 2026 Jacobson took "full responsibility" and made immersion the next game's focus. For FM27 SI let everyone play for free from Oct 29 to Nov 3, 2026, saying it was committed to "rebuilding player trust and confidence in the Studio" (Free Trial and Launch Preview).

Frequently asked questions

Who makes Football Manager? Sports Interactive, a London studio owned by SEGA since 2006, develops Football Manager, and SEGA publishes it. FM27 is its newest game, out Nov 10, 2026.

Who founded Sports Interactive? Brothers Paul and Oliver Collyer founded Sports Interactive in 1994, after creating Championship Manager, released in 1992. Miles Jacobson now leads the studio that makes FM27.

Does SEGA own Sports Interactive? Yes. SEGA Europe bought Sports Interactive on Apr 4, 2006, and SEGA publishes every Football Manager, including FM27.

Where is Sports Interactive based? At Chiswick Business Park in west London, the registered office named on its site as of Nov 1, 2026.

How many people work at Sports Interactive? More than 290 full-time staff and about 1,400 researchers in Nov 2023, SEGA said. No newer figure has been published for the FM27 era as of Nov 1, 2026.