New Licensing Agreement Covers Top Three Divisions of Japanese Football, J.1, J.2 and J.3
21st September 2023 – The most complete edition of Football Manager to date is underscored by securing a J.League agreement that sees the Japanese clubs finally unveiled in Football Manager 2024.
The brand-new licensing agreement introduces Meiji Yasuda Insurance Ltd J.1 League, J.2 League and J.3 Leagues and fully unlocks Japan as a playable nation in-game. All 60 J.League clubs are fully licensed featuring their official logos, kits and player photos from the 2023 J.League season across our suite of titles.
Sports Interactive Studio Director Miles Jacobson said: “Signing an agreement with the J.League is something we’ve wanted to do for a very long time and being able to combine that with our first launch in Japan is an enormous milestone for the studio and wider SEGA family.
“For years and years, we’ve faced the ‘where is the J.League?’ question from our fans so I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to finally make it happen and am excited for our players to get to know the league and clubs better and discover new talents from Japan. For our new fans and players in Japan, it’s so pleasing that they’ll get to experience one of the true joys of FM – managing your favourite team and living out your footballing dreams!”
Football Manager 2024 launches globally across platforms from November 7th (UTC+) and includes Japanese language support for the first time. As the 20th and most complete edition in the Football Manager series to date, FM24 includes a number of gameplay upgrades that push football authenticity levels further than they’ve been to date. Many of the game’s new features are heavily shaped by expert insight and key partnerships from within the professional world of football, deepening the immersion and drama.
Feature details have begun rolling out across @FootballManager socials and the official website including enhancements to the transfer market and club finances that mimic the theatre of the window in real life, adding new dimension and dynamism to your managerial career in-game.
Further upgrades to the PC/Mac title, including developments to the Match Engine and a Set Pieces refresh, will be detailed throughout the remainder of September and into early October. As outlined in our public features roadmap, the new features and gameplay improvements for FM24 Console and FM24 Mobile will be revealed during the week commencing October 22nd. FM24 Touch’s features will then be spotlit in early November.
Anyone who pre-purchases FM24 (PC/Mac) or FM24 Console (Xbox/PS5*) from a SEGA-approved digital retailer anytime before launch on November 7th (UTC+8) will receive a 10% discount.
Those pre-purchasing on PC and Mac, from a participating digital retailer, can also kick-off their managerial career ahead of schedule with Early Access. This will be available via Steam and the Epic Games Store approximately two weeks** prior to the official street date, and single-player careers started in that period can be carried forward when the game updates for launch on November 7th (UTC+8).
For more information on the FM24 series on all platforms, visit official website.
*On PlayStation, this discount is only available to PlayStation Plus subscribers.
**Early Access may go live at different times on different platforms.
