Following their split with series developer Sports Interactive, publishers Eidos have revealed the team to take the series forward
Championship Manager is, simply, the king of football management games, with massive sales, citations from professional footballers and managers by the (magic sponge) bucket load and a huge army of fiercely brand-loyal devotees behind it.
So imagine the ructions and confusion when publishers Eidos and developers Sports Interactive split last year, with Eidos keeping the all-important brand name and SI keeping the, um, also all-important engine, including the legendarily meticulous and complex real-life stats that drive the whole, life-devouring experience.
The next few days will see the whole picture become clearer.
Today Eidos have revealed the internal development team charged with the weighty responsibility of carrying the brand forward by producing Champ Man 5. Meanwhile, Sports Interactive will shortly be unveiling the new brand name charged with the weighty responsibility of carrying the game engine forward.
Beautiful Game Studios, Eidos" new internal development team of 30 staff, are building CM5 using an as-yet unnamed agency "that provides player info and statistics to professional football clubs around the world".
If they can provide a suitably deep and credible data bank, and deliver the promised "much more responsive experience", then a seamless management transition awaits.