F1 Manager 2022 devs backtrack after infuriating fans with a "final update" just two months after launch

Frontier Developments has announced that it's ending major gameplay updates for F1 Manager 2022 less than two months after launch, but after a swiftly negative response from fans, the studio's messaging has softened.

On October 27, a Frontier representative made a post titled "News on Next Update and the Future of F1 Manager" on the game's official subreddit. According to the post, "this next update for F1 Manager 2022 will be the last significant update that addresses player-reported feedback, or suggested changes and additions. Any potential updates following this would be minor patches that do not noticeably affect gameplay."

The devs said that "to ensure upcoming F1 Manager projects realise their potential and meet the expectations of both our team and our community, the development team’s focus must move fully onto projects beyond F1 Manager 2022." The post also describes the last big patch as the game's "final update."

Response from fans was unenthusiastic, to say the least. Posts with titles like "never buy another Frontier game ever again," "this company is a laughing stock, and "a disgusting decision by Frontier" are filling the subreddit now, and the game's Steam page is quickly being flooded with negative reviews referencing the news.

Today, Frontier has made a new post that makes an attempt at "clarifying yesterday's news". As in the previous post, the developers say that major gameplay updates are ending while minor patches will continue. "To be crystal clear," the devs say, "we will continue to support F1 Manager 2022, with multiple updates currently in the pipeline, focused on addressing the most important topics raised by the community."

The devs are making some specific contradictions to previous statements, however. One of the big complaints players have had regards issues with cars not properly getting unlapped under the safety car. Yesterday, one member of the team said "we can now confirm that this will not be addressed further in F1 Manager 2022," because the fix "would require significant gameplay alterations that are just not within scope for this game."

Today, Frontier says the issue is "not considered a gameplay feature. It remains on our list of topics we're investigating for F1 Manager 2022. We'll continue to provide more specific details on what else we're working, as soon as it's confirmed."

Dig into our list of the best sim games, many of which are still getting updates both major and minor.