F1 Manager developers respond to fan backlash that plagued inaugural launch

The developers behind the F1 Manager series have spoken to PlanetF1.com after heavy criticism following last year’s maiden release.

While F1 Manager 2022 was met with praise for the immersive graphics, there were numerous complaints about the gameplay itself with players suggesting it was too easy, repetitive and lacking any playability for long-term saves.

Fans felt annoyed that the faculty was too low, meaning you could take the lowest-ranked team in the game, Williams, and make them World Champions within two seasons. There was also no way to swap teams and no ability to arrange a driver contract to kick in for the following year.

There were also multiple issues with DRS, tyre wear and AI actions under the Safety Car.

Frontier, the developer behind the game, further disgruntled fans when they announced they would no longer be providing significant updates for the game just two months after its launch.

The day after that statement, Frontier rowed back on their decision to clarify that updates would be coming, just not some of the features many fans had requested with the focus instead being on the 2023 game.

Ahead of the release of the 2023 game in July, PlanetF1.com spoke with the Frontier team for their response to the criticism and how it affected their approach for the new game.

“We’ve got a great community who really latched on to the concept and the delivery of the first game,” game director Andy Fletcher said. “So we absolutely listened to our fans about what it is that they feel is lacking or they enjoy and want more off.

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“It’s a key reference point for us when we’re looking to build on that original game which is what F1 Manager 2023 is all about. It’s about building on that foundation, making sure that we’re addressing key concerns as well as developing the game and making the game better.

“We know our work isn’t done just because we delivered a really strong game last year, we want to keep on improving, adding more depth, getting closer to the season with things like Race Replay but also addressing the issues that the community have raised and the hot topics.”

Frontier has gone someway to addressing some of the concerns such as updating the AI for the 2023 game as well as redesigning the contact system.