FOOTBALL MANAGER CLASSIC FOR PLAYSTATION® VITA OFFERS ONE GAME – HOME AND AWAY

Sports Interactive and SEGA® Europe Ltd. are delighted to announce a collaboration with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd. (SCEE) which will result in the release of a major landmark in the development of the Football Manager series, Football Manager Classic 2014 for PlayStation Vita.

FMC 2014 for PS Vita is the first game in the series’ long and successful history to allow cross-platform compatibility away from home computers, meaning that fans who own both FM 2014 (and play Classic mode) for PC, Mac or Linux and FMC 2014 for PS Vita will be able to carry on a single continuous game, whether they’re at home using their computer or out and about with their PlayStation Vita (or vice versa).

In addition, FMC 2014 for PS Vita will also be the first ever handheld game to feature FM’s acclaimed 3D Match Engine, adding an extra layer of realism and immersion that’s been unavailable in previous Football Manager games for handheld devices, alongside a pretty much identical feature set to Football Manager Classic on home computers.

"This is a hugely significant landmark for Football Manager," says Miles Jacobson, Studio Director for Sports Interactive. "Not only are we today announcing a first for us, with a portable version of Football Manager Classic, but we’re also announcing the first game ever to provide cross-save between PC, Mac, Linux and PS Vita. Play the game at home, at work, at Uni, on the bus, on the train – wherever you want to, with the saved game stored in the cloud. Welcome to the future.”

"At PlayStation, many of us have longed for the full Football Manager experience on the go, so we’re absolutely thrilled to see Football Manager 2014 make its first full appearance on the PlayStation Vita,” says Shahid Ahmad, Senior Business Development Manager, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE). Speaking of the project, he adds: “We were especially thrilled to support the Sports Interactive team's desire to create a seamless experience between Football Manager on a home computer and the PlayStation Vita. It's always a pleasure working with our long-standing partners at SEGA and we're looking forward to the fruit of this innovative collaboration between our companies."

Football Manager Classic started life as a 'slimmed down' game mode in Football Manager 2013, specifically designed as an alternative, less time-consuming way for players to approach the game. The release of FMC 2014 for PS Vita marks the first time that it's been released as a standalone game.

Produced with considerable support from SCEE, FMC 2014 for PS Vita has been co-developed by Sports Interactive, sister game development studio Hardlight (responsible for Sonic Dash and Sonic Jump) and Sheffield-based Little Stone Software.

"The creation of FMC 2014 for PS Vita has been a really positive advertisement for the value of collaboration," adds Jacobson. "It was no mean feat to get a game as technically advanced as Football Manager onto a mobile device with the minimum of compromise and it's taken a great deal of effort and ingenuity to make it happen. Everyone who's worked on this game at SI, Hardlight, Little Stone and, of course, PlayStation has done an awesome job and I would like to say a huge thanks to them all for making what was originally a ‘wouldn’t it be good?’ type conversation between ourselves and PlayStation into reality."

Football Manager Classic 2014 for PlayStation Vita will be published by SEGA and will be available as both a physical release and a digital download through the PSN store.

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For further information, please contact media@sigames.com.

About Sports Interactive Ltd.:

Sports Interactive (SI) is the world’s leading developer of football management simulations through its Football Manager series of games. Founded in 1994 and based in the Old Street area of London, SI has a full-time staff of 85 and employs the services of roughly 2,000 part-time researchers across the globe (alongside more than 200 offsite Beta testers). The company’s games have enjoyed an unparalleled history of commercial and critical success, with 12 of its creations among the UK's Top 20 fastest-selling PC games of all time and five in the UK’s top 20 best-selling PC games of all time. Sports Interactive became a wholly owned subsidiary of SEGA in 2006. Further information on the company and its games is available from the SI website, www.sigames.com.

About SEGA® Europe Ltd.:

SEGA® Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including Windows PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA Europe’s web site is located at www.sega.com.

About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe:

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution of PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, PlayStation®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system,  PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) portable entertainment system,  and PlayStation®Network software and hardware in 109 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE has revolutionised home entertainment since they launched PlayStation® in 1994. PS2® further enhanced the PlayStation® legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP® is a handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy on-the-go games with high-quality full-motion video and high-fidelity stereo audio. PS3® is an advanced computer system, incorporating the powerful Cell Broadband Engine and RSX processors. PS Vita is an ultimate portable entertainment system that offers a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context. SCEE also delivers the PlayStation® experience to open operating systems through PlayStation®Mobile, a cross device platform. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. More information about PlayStation products can be found at www.playstation.com. PlayStation, PS4, PS3, PS2 and PSP are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.