In the latest salvo in a global attempt to merge the real and the unreal, Football Manager now has its own soccer club. The Football Manager Football Club, or more charitably, FMFC, essentially allows Football Manager fans to link their Steam and other accounts to get email updates, a blogs, and "member perks."

Yes, it's confusing; FMFC doesn't exist, but it has a Hummel strip and a club logo FMFC doesn't exist, but it has a Hummel strip and a club logo. It would be easy to be cynical about what is basically "another bespoke gaming account," but kudos to Sports Interactive for leaning into fantasy in a way that the game's fan base will certainly enjoy. It also ties in nicely with some of the RPG-like new features in Football Manager 2021.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect for Football Manager players is that SI intends to use the data collected from linked accounts to tailor future content for FMFC. 'We aim to learn about your approach to the game and, over time, support your gameplay with content that will help you level up, offer new challenges, tactics, and all the inspiration the game world can throw at you.'

"Football Manager 2021" will be released on November 25 and looks to be the biggest overhaul of the series in years.