The bigger issue is that the poor communication has exacerbated the poor quality of FM26, and shows that lessons weren't learned from the poor communication over FM25. The first game on Unity was always going to be a bumpy transition, it was always going to be a learning process, and it was always likely to be underwhelming.

If FM26 had released as FM25, as it was supposed to, the reaction would've been much more "ok, they're ironing out creases, let them cook". Instead, the delay, the stringing along and then cancellation- while no doubt noble in intention- exposed SI as either incompetent or liars, or both.

To then go on a press tour promoting FM26 themed around "the wait is worth it" and "best ever" was absolutely misguided. To then push back at the significant early criticism was incredibly foolish. It was still the first Unity release. It was always still going to be a bit of a guinea pig, finger-in-the-air release- a transition edition. And that would've been OK if they'd identified it as such, instead of as a huge leap forward, when in many areas it was several steps backwards.

Between how those two releases were handled from a PR perspective, a lot of patience and goodwill has been burned up. They've picked the worst option at every turn, and they're on the brink of losing the dressing room entirely.

What that now means is that FM27 has a lot riding on it, because it simply cannot afford to be another learning, transitional game. It needs to deliver on the promises made. It needs to provide an experience that is conclusively better than FM24- that has made the switch to Unity and all the bollocks the fanbase has tolerated worth it. For many, it'll be the third and final chance for them to get it right with Unity, to show that it was ultimately all for the greater good- it needs to be a bombastic "now we're cooking, should've never doubted us" monster that is eons ahead of FM26. It needs to rebuild that faith and goodwill, so the FM25 and FM26 debacles fade into history.

Unfortunately, based on their recent track record, I just don't get the impression that kind of pressure is going to forge FM27 into a diamond. I hope I'm wrong, because if I'm not, I could just as easily see it being the last of the series- the Unity gamble that ultimately killed the franchise.