Football Manager 2017 adds social media, improved animations and smarter AI

In a new 30-minute long presentation, developer Sports Interactive has revealed what prospective players can expect from Football Manager 2017.

Year-upon-year, Football Manager is a series which rarely departs Steam's top ten most-played games list—besides when being swapped for its latest annual update. The next, and 13th iteration, of the management simulator is due November 4 and is set to add a host of new features, as well as improvements to existing mechanics.

Besides some superficial-leaning alterations—such as UI adjustments, player animations, new camera angles, and the fact referees now use "magic spray" when lining up an opposing team's wall before free kicks, among other things—the game's match engine has been improved in order to portray more realistic and believable matches.

Commentary has been reworked, and AI has been tweaked in relation to contracts and player transfers; staff, and how they relay contextual advice; scouting and the depth of scouts' analysis; and the board, and how it responds to your performance—to name but a few of the key areas.

Perhaps the most significant change this year, though, is the introduction of social media—a platform which, like real life, circulates player performance analysis, fan reactions, transfer rumours, and influences you and your club's relationship with the media.

There's loads more to chew over in the following video, which you should absolutely watch in its entirety:

Football Manager 2017 is due November 4 and will cost £34.99/$49.99, while those that've pre-ordered can look forward to beta access at some point before then.

Those who've owned previous iterations of the series are also in-line for a discount. "Loyal fans of the series can enjoy an exclusive Steam-only discount of five percent off for every Football Manager game they own (PC, Mac or Linux) dating back to Football Manager 2013," says the game's Steam page. "This means there’s a maximum 20 per cent discount available to fans who own all of the last four versions."