LONDON (November 13^th, 2006) – SEGA Europe, Ltd. today announced that both console versions of the latest edition of the highly acclaimed sports management title, Football Manager™, have gone gold.  Football Manager ™ 2007 for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Football Manager Handheld™ 2007 for PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system are both ready for release across Europe on December 1^st, 2006.

Football Manager Handheld™ 2007 sees many new features added making it easier to use, navigate and control.  Taking a huge step forward with the inclusion of such features as international management and multiple scouts, there are now many new leagues from across the world to choose from including Portugal and Australian leagues.  Network play has also been included in Football Manager™ Handheld 2007 and players can now play friendly matches against their friends or compete with strangers via wifi.

The Xbox 360™ version of Football Manager ™ 2007 makes a dash forward from the previous Xbox 360™ version with new features including Xbox Live™ Vision camera support, and Xbox Live™ “Fantasy Draft” mode.  There are 50 achievements that will challenge both new and old players of the series and most importantly, an easier to use control system making the overall game much easier to play.  “Fantasy Draft” is an engrossing new feature where up to eight players compete in a round-robin, picking players from the vast Sports Interactive database to build their fantasy squad from, before embarking on either a cup competition or league via Xbox Live™.  In addition to these exclusive new features, Football Manager™ 2007 on Xbox 360™ includes all the key new features from it’s PC big brother and all the exclusive features from the previous Xbox 360™ release from Sports Interactive.

“We’re really happy with both of our forthcoming console releases.  Having listened to lots of feedback from the community, particularly regarding the control system on the Xbox 360™, we are confident of providing the best console and handheld management experiences to date,” said Miles Jacobson, Managing Director of Sports Interactive.  “With loads of new features on each game and great improvements throughout, we want to prove to people that we are not just a PC developer anymore and can entertain on all platforms”.

Football Manager™ 2007 on PC, Mac and Intel Mac was recently released to a huge amount of critical acclaim within the press, the Football Manager™ community, and new players alike.  The ushering in of Football Manager™ 2007 on Xbox 360™ and Football Manager Handheld™ 2007 on PSP® represents another huge leap for Sports Interactive in their quest for football managerial perfection. 

Football Manager™ 2007 on Xbox 360™ and Football Manager Handheld™ 2007 on PSP® will both be released across Europe on December 1^st, 2006.

For more information on Football Manager please visit www.footballmanager.net or www.sigames.com