Championship Manager Online to close down

Championship Manager Online, known to fans and subscribers as CMO, will cease on 30 April 2010 with official reports suggesting it may be a permanent closure.

The announcement was made on the Championship Manager Online forums.

The official statement reads: "We've tried hard, for a number of years, to attract the sort of interest and user numbers that was needed to make a real dent in the books. Ultimately, I have to admit that we failed."

Apologising for the CMO service having to close, the statement also says that the decision to close the game was made by Championship Manager owner Eidos and not developer Jadestone.

Forum administrator Senior said: "We - at Jadestone - cannot talk about the decision to close the game, due to contractual obligations. We will not answer or comment on any such questions.

"The game, the brand, the internet domain and the subscriptions are all owned by Eidos and the decision to cease the service is entirely theirs to make," Senior continued.

Web User has already been contacted by disgruntled subscribers and posts on the Championship Manager Online forums express dismay at the announcement.

"Guys. You know how it is... People only moan about something they really love - we're football fans, we do it all the time. So, thanks for trying so hard. I don't really know why it hasn't worked, I'm feeling bereavement already just thinking about it," one forum member said.

"This really makes me sad... completely ruins my day. Thought I would still be playing this game in 20 years' time. Thanks to all staff, developers and mostly all other players in the game. It's been great and I'm really torn apart by this decision," another wrote.

There is also a Facebook petition to save the game.

Play classic games on the Web User site

Standard Championship Manager Online subscriptions will stop working on 30 March with premium accounts being extended until 30 April. Three-month subscriptions are no longer available, including renewals.

Eidos have confirmed, in a statement released Monday: "CM Online, a joint initiative with Jadestone in Sweden, will be closing from April 30th 2010. We are re-focusing our vision for the Championship Manager franchise and hope to share more news soon via our website."