Football Manager 2018 introduces feature allowing players to come out as gay

'Helps bring attention to a serious societal deficiency, if you think that’s being too PC then more fool you'

The latest version of Football Manager will be released soon (Sports Interactive/Sega)

Football Manager 2018 will feature openly gay players.

Footballers will publicly come out as gay in the new game, which will be released later this week, on 10 November.

The news has had a mixed reception online, with some people praising game developer Sports Interactive for the decision, and others dismissing it as “unnecessary” or criticising it as a negative move.

Only fictional players will be able to come out as gay.

These footballers, who are known as “newgens” or “regens”, are entirely computer-generated, and appear as youngsters who are designed to keep the game fresh.

As explained by Football Manager director Miles Jacobson, developers can do things with “newgens” that they can’t do with real players, as “they can't sue us”.

“Part of the reason we decided to do this is because there are gay footballers," he told BBC Sport.

"We know from the amount of professionals that there has to be players who are gay but feel they don't want to come out. I find it weird that it's still a problem in football so we decided to try and show people that coming out isn't a big deal and can be a positive thing.”

If a player at your club comes out as gay, you’ll find out through a news item. A boost in revenue could follow, as a result of increased attention from the LGBT community.

Football Manager 2018 costs £37.99, and you can pre-order it now.