Sports Interactive, the makers of the Football Manager computer game series, have released a new video to explain many of the features and benefits in Football Manager 2013, which is due out later this year.

The video features a faux press conference with Studio Director Miles Jacobson explaining what’s new in FM 2013, as well as answering several important questions.

There’s no release date yet for Football Manager 2013, but SI is working as hard as they can to have it ready before Christmas.

The biggest announcement regarding Football Manager 2013 is the inclusion of two new modes — Football Manager Classic (which is a quicker, faster, abbreviated version of the game for those who have less time to play), and Challenge Mode, which allows the player to face a particular scenario which is designed to test his or her management skills over a set period of time – usually half a season. The challenges replicate a variety of real world circumstances… is it possible to achieve success with a squad consisting entirely of kids, for example, or can a team that’s bottom of the table on Christmas Day be saved from relegation by the end of the season?

Other new features in FM 2013 include:

Improved 3D match engine
Perhaps the most visible enhancements to FM13 will be those that have been made to the 3D match engine. In this year’s release, everything on and around the pitch will look more realistic; from the stadiums and crowds through the players’ movements and the way the ball moves through the air. A variety of new and improved animations give matches a more realistic feel, while a revamp of the camera system makes the matchday experience more ‘televisual’. These visual enhancements are underpinned by a dramatic improvement in the match engine’s artificial intelligence system.

New staff roles
FM13 sees a significant restructure of the manager’s backroom staff and a revamp of their roles. This includes the introduction of a Director of Football who will (if required) take on some of the manager’s workload, such as contract negotiations or the disposal of unwanted players. In addition, the number of specialist coaches has increased and the manager has greater flexibility to choose which coaches to seek advice from and when to do this, as well as more specialised coaches and the ability to improve coach’s skills as they qualify for their coaching badges.

Improved media interaction
The interaction between the manager and the media has been revamped. One significant aspect of this is that managers can now adopt different tones when dealing with the press – choosing between a number of moods ranging from ‘calm’ to ‘aggressive’.

Network game
FM13 sees a huge revamp of the multi-player game, which now makes full use of the Steam system’s network functionality, allowing players to set up and enjoy games against other managers far more easily than before. The improved network game also includes a number of bespoke, one-off league and cup options alongside the standard career version, including one mode which allows the player to take the team that he or she has built and developed in their single-player game and test it in the multi-player environment.

Worldwide leaderboards
FM13’s deeper integration with Steam also sees the introduction of worldwide leaderboards which means, for the first time, that players can see exactly where they stand compared to their fellow managers across the globe. In addition to the full global ranking ladder, there will also be a number of individual leaderboards covering the game’s different modes and every playable nation and division. The leaderboards use a sophisticated scoring system that takes into account a variety of factors including the level a manager chooses to compete at, his or her club’s financial performance and even their in-game wages – making the new manager contract negotiation feature a really important addition to the game.

User interface
FM13 boasts a new interface and skin for ‘career’ mode, and a fresh new look for ‘classic’ mode, as well as lots of work on navigation, an animated interface and a new search system means that whichever mode you go for, FM13 will be the easiest to use and best-looking game in the series to date.

Enhanced training
In FM13 managers will have the ability to go deeper into their team’s training and choose a schedule that suits their needs. Training is now managed through a simplified overview panel which combines general coaching with more detailed preparation. Managers can now choose where they want to focus their team’s training, whether that is on more general routines or in preparing for specific matches.

Realistic tax regimes
One of the major factors which influences real world footballers when they come to choose which club to sign for is the different level of tax which is payable from one country to another. This is now reflected in FM13, which includes up-to-date tax regimes for each of its featured countries – something which the in-game footballers will take into account when deciding which club to join.

What are your thoughts about the new features in Football Manager 2013? Are you planning on buying the game when it comes out? What do you like and don’t like? Let us know in the comments section below.