A Letter to the OOTP Community and the OOTP Team

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Hi everyone,

As someone who’s been enjoying OOTP more and more over the years, I’ve been thinking about how this game fits into my routine and how differently people around here experience it. With OOTP 27 on the horizon — and some understandable uncertainty after the recent ownership changes — I wanted to put a few thoughts together. Not as a complaint or suggestion list, but simply as one player trying to understand where things are heading and how the community fits into that picture.

These are just reflections from someone who cares about the game and wants to see it continue to grow in a way that feels steady and purposeful

To the Community

One thing that’s clear from reading threads here is that people use OOTP in very different ways. Some dive deep into historical setups, some build fictional leagues, some focus on Perfect Team, and many sit quietly in the background just enjoying their own style of play.
Not everyone posts their methods or views in detail — which makes sense. A lot of players are in online leagues, and there’s a natural instinct to protect strategies or routines. Others prefer to read rather than comment. The forum has a lot of silent traffic and fewer long-form breakdowns, but the interest is there.
Even so, when someone does share a mod, a guide, a workflow, or even a simple troubleshooting step, it often becomes something the wider player base quietly relies on. It’s not loud, but it is valuable.

To the Developers

The quieter nature of the forum doesn’t mean players are disengaged. If anything, the opposite seems true: people care, but they don’t always put everything on display. When they do share critiques or frustrations, it’s usually because OOTP has already become part of their routine — something they invest time and thought into.
And with OOTP 27 on the horizon, and with the recent ownership changes, there’s a fair amount of curiosity about the long-term direction of the game.
Not in a “give us a roadmap” way.
Not in a “promise features” way.
More in the sense of:
What does the future look like in broad terms?
What’s the long-term aspiration for OOTP?
Where is the series aiming to grow?
Even high-level insight would go a long way toward keeping players confident and grounded. Most people aren’t asking for specifics — just reassurance that the game is still evolving with intention.
This community is actually very reasonable when given context. Players don’t want to control development, but they do want to understand the direction enough to align their feedback and expectations.

To Both the Community and the Team

OOTP has always sat in an unusual spot: it’s a deep, niche sports sim with a dedicated but fairly quiet fanbase. The relationship between players and developers matters more here than in many other games because the depth of OOTP means people build entire personal workflows, stories, and traditions around it.
A bit more shared context — from both sides — would strengthen that relationship.
Players benefit from knowing the general direction.
Developers benefit from clearer, more aligned feedback.
Modders benefit from better understanding what’s stable versus what may change.
And new players benefit from a community that feels steady and informed.

A Note of Appreciation

Finally, thank you — to the people who do contribute here in whatever way they feel comfortable, and to the developers who keep building a game with unusual depth and staying power. Even when OOTP shows age or limitations, it still provides something many other games don’t: a sandbox that grows with the player over years, not weeks.
Whatever comes next for OOTP 27 and beyond, there are players here — vocal or quiet — who simply want to understand the journey and be part of it in their own way.


— A fellow OOTP player

[Paul Reuschel's Mustache]

Originally Posted by Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

H Finally, thank you — to the people who do contribute here in whatever way they feel comfortable, and to the developers who keep building a game with unusual depth and staying power. Even when OOTP shows age or limitations, it still provides something many other games don’t: a sandbox that grows with the player over years, not weeks.

Nicely put, YHF. I've spent countless hours of my life with OOTP, going back to version 16. My publicly voiced frustrations with certain aspects of the game always took a back seat to my appreciation for the game. I decided to walk away from the game a few months ago, but I'll be monitoring what the future holds for this remarkable product.

Eight billion people on our planet, and nobody has come close to replicating what a German dude named Markus Heinsohn created 25 years ago. That is truly astonishing, isn't it!

A "State of the Game" update from the Developers twice a year would be appreciated.

State of the Game Update 1: once the development cycle for the current version ends (early to mid-November?).

• What went well in the last cycle
• What could have been improved
• Major lessons learned
• How player feedback shaped developments
• Overall reflection on the previous version from the Developers

State of the Game Update 2: when the new version is released.

• The major changes and features added
• Why these changes were chosen
• How these changes are expected to improve the game
• Which problems or limitations these changes aim to address
• Why certain often-requested changes were not implemented in this release
• What the Team hopes to accomplish in the upcoming development cycle
• Any high-level roadmap items that can be publicly shared

I understand that the Team behind OOTP is small (compared to other games) and that development cycles are intense. But better proactive communication (no corporate PR fluff, please!) from the Team behind OOTP would be a positive sign that this wonderful franchise is healthy, vibrant, and strong.

YHF, I fully agree with you on this point, and I hope that the Developers will act on it.

Originally Posted by Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

[B]Players don’t want to control development, but they do want to understand the direction enough to align their feedback and expectations.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Originally Posted by Paul Reuschel's Mustache

Nicely put, YHF. I've spent countless hours of my life with OOTP, going back to version 16. My publicly voiced frustrations with certain aspects of the game always took a back seat to my appreciation for the game. I decided to walk away from the game a few months ago, but I'll be monitoring what the future holds for this remarkable product.

Eight billion people on our planet, and nobody has come close to replicating what a German dude named Markus Heinsohn created 25 years ago. That is truly astonishing, isn't it!

A "State of the Game" update from the Developers twice a year would be appreciated.

State of the Game Update 1: once the development cycle for the current version ends (early to mid-November?).

• What went well in the last cycle
• What could have been improved
• Major lessons learned
• How player feedback shaped developments
• Overall reflection on the previous version from the Developers

State of the Game Update 2: when the new version is released.

• The major changes and features added
• Why these changes were chosen
• How these changes are expected to improve the game
• Which problems or limitations these changes aim to address
• Why certain often-requested changes were not implemented in this release
• What the Team hopes to accomplish in the upcoming development cycle
• Any high-level roadmap items that can be publicly shared

I understand that the Team behind OOTP is small (compared to other games) and that development cycles are intense. But better proactive communication (no corporate PR fluff, please!) from the Team behind OOTP would be a positive sign that this wonderful franchise is healthy, vibrant, and strong.

YHF, I fully agree with you on this point, and I hope that the Developers will act on it.

Thank you for taking the time to read, consider and reply much appreciate it.


I kinda get the feeling I might be 10 years to late to this party.. in that i can see lots of people read this, but only you have responded - I am guessing what i have written is by many engendering a ' cute.. a relatively new player wants to engage and talk about how the game might develop....as if this hasn't been done to death over the last X years' thought in most readers minds!

[redranger]

I’ve been around since ver1 as one of those guys that sits back more quietly and playing in my own way but scowering through the forums daily. This game has become such a big part of my life. I just turned 60 and it is really hard to believe OOTP has been a part of my life for almost half of all my years.

I can say for as long as it continues I will always be involved and support every future version…..and hopefully that is many more versions and many more years.

I know it goes unsaid quite a lot but the folks involved heavily in this game that contribute with posts (good and bad), mods, etc…you guys are much appreciated from us “silent types” more than you know.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[glenmere14]

Thank you redranger - my sentiments exactly.

[Pelican]

As a "mere" five-year OOTP veteran, I can appreciate the post, too. I'm happy to be along for the ride. And doubtless it's true there are many of us happily playing and too darn busy to post - unless we run into a problem or have a question. I try to keep that in mind when roaming these forums. Sometimes I head over to historical seasons and replays, just to enjoy the detailed accounts of seasons being played. Those are the happy customers.

Don't get me wrong, it's great to have a place to get support and community advice and ideas on the game. Most of the sharing on these boards is constructive and inspiring and sometimes funny. I don't let the few troublemakers or chronic cranks ruin the experience. I have learned strategy, house rules, mods, and how to avoid mistakes, just by reading posts.

As to the evolution of the game, I for one to not have any need for future bells and whistles - even though I understand there are marketing people whose job it is to expand the base and increase revenue by attracting new users. I'm one of those who looks forward to each new version, even though I really only expect further refinements and subtle improvements to a product that already shines.

The developers are transparent and open to discussion and criticism and suggestions, which I appreciate. There is no artificial dividing line, where they are the pros and we are the amateurs. It feels more like a community, even though in fact they are the pros and we are the amateurs.

In a sense users are "investors" in the franchise, and I suppose it does make sense for the developers to periodically look back on the previous year, and preview the upcoming version. I just don't want to pull them away from fixing bugs and making improvements.

[pitch62]

Amen!