Championship Manager Season: 02/03 announced

Eidos and Sports Interactive have today announced that, following the success of Championship Manager, which launched alongside the Xbox in Europe, an Xbox-exclusive Season: 02/03 edition is currently in development and is scheduled for release in Europe in time for Christmas.

"We're delighted to be bringing an exclusive version of Championship Manager to the Xbox in time for Xmas stockings, and, as well as fully updated data and the new transfer windows, we hope to have a few surprises in there as well," said Miles Jacobson, MD of Sports Interactive. "The success of the last game has proved to us that the Xbox is a console well worth our backing, and we look forward to bringing football management games to the Xbox on a regular basis."

In Europe, the Championship Manager series of games has long been one of the most successful on the PC, and the Xbox version released in March was the first time it had ever appeared on a console. The game is essentially text-based, but the quality of the commentary and the sheer quantity of real-life statistics included have ensured that it's an extremely difficult game to turn off.

"Championship Manager is a legend, and we're pleased that Season 02/03 is coming home exclusively to Xbox this season," said Sandy Duncan, VP of Xbox, Europe. "Our great portfolio is really enhanced by this engrossing title, and we think Championship Manager Season: 02/03 on Xbox will be on lots of Christmas lists this year."

Championship Manager Season: 02/03 is scheduled for release in Europe in time for Christmas. No North American release has been confirmed at this time, but we'll bring you more information on the game as it becomes available.