Championship Manager: Season 97/98

Description of Championship Manager: Season 97/98

Sports Interactive’s Championship Manager: Season 97/98 marked both a beginning and an end. It was to be the final game of the second generation series of Championship Manager. At the same time it marked the beginning of a new generation of Championship Manger games which introduced many features still seen today in football management simulators. After a less than encouraging start with their original releases, Sports Interactive rose to prominence with Championship Manager 2 (which was released in 1995). Season 97/98 built upon that success and featured nine world leagues. For the first time more than one league could be played concurrently, giving players an option to try their hand at managing in a different country during their simulated managerial career. The game was immensely popular. It was a football simulator that struck the perfect balance between realism, accessibility and fun. It also showcased new and emerging features which Sports Interactive hoped to incorporate in future versions. Because of this the game was released without copy protection in the hope that people would share the game, and then buy the next game of the series in the future. The lack of copy protection didn’t hinder sales; it still went on to become one of the bestselling games of 1997. Following on from Season 97/98 the Championship Manager brand went from strength to strength. Best sellers followed year after year until Sports Interactive’s acrimonious split with publisher Eidos in 2003. While Eidos retained the name, Sports Interactive held onto the game database and engine. In 2005 both were successfully transferred to their Football Manger franchise. Every year since has seen a new, and bigger release, packed with more and more enhanced features. Despite this, Championship Manager: Season 97/98 still remains a game worth playing; a fun reminder of simpler time.

Review By Richard