FML More addictive than crack cocaine!

I recall during Pre Release Beta, someone at SEGA/SI asked for one line answers to describe FML.

More addictive than crack

Grounds for divorce

Football Ebay

The Future

FM with real managers

These were just some of the phrases I recall being branded around at this time, so how would I describe FML now? I just don't know.

I would like to share some details about how I came across FML. I feel it is relevant as 3 years on I would still have to go through the same process.

This aspect of marketing for me is still the same as it was when I joined Beta back in February 2008

I had given up with playing Football Manager a few years previous as I didnt have a machine that could actually process the game at speed at which I was content.

So I began a process of searching for an online alternatives:-

I used google, "Online Football Management" was my search critria I started to sign up for the ones at the top of the search list I did this over a period of 1 month trying various games all of which frankly were crap.

I eventually ended up on the Football Manager Forums which were different back then and there was a thread about this beta game called FML.

There was a link to sign up and people were desperate to join this game and ask when would the next lot of people join the game. I thought I'll sign up sounds like it could be what Im looking for. People were posting on the forum saying they had been waiting to join for weeks, so I did hold up much hope of being selected.

BOOM next day I got an invite, and I found my way into Gameworld 6 Physco gameworld.

I remember thinking at this time, would this be what I was looking for ?

So to get to my point, I just googled Online Football Mangement FML is on the 2nd page listed 15th google. THIS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!

With the combined powers of Sega and Si the marketing of FML has been poor. I appreciate that this is a long term project and the idea is to add to the customer base on a slowly slowly basis however just how slow does it have to be before steps are taken to up the Client base.

At this point I would just add that I do not feel Si should be marketing the game as with the lag situation at the moment, it would do more harm than good.

However once this is fixed a little bit of marketing could go a long way. For those of you who were at the community/Mod day at Si Towers before the soft launch you will recall the marketing budget that had been allocated to for FML! What happenned ? Where did it go ?

The world changed and we hit a recession, I appreciate that and the churn rate was probably too high at that time for sega to commit funds to the project.

However the world is changing back the other way now and hopefully things will improve.

I dont pretend to be some marketing expert however sometimes listening to the everyday joe bloggs can have its rewards.

A quick history I have been playing football management games since the C64 across various platforms and I even played the infamous Play By Mail football management game which was unique at the time and invovled picking your team from stats sent to you via the post on a monday and sending them off via the postie to select your team on Saturday.

That was really different.

Just to finish, remember I love this game and it really is an amazing game with a great community.

I would be lying if I said I am not finding it hard not to log in anymore, its like being stripped of an addictive drug, I just dont know if I can go through hard turkey!