Until now, FM Live has been available only via digital download so that you could get the game for free but subscription has been required to play. Now, with the boxed copy (gamebox picture on the right) you get both - the game and a 4-month subscription as part of the purchase price. To continue your game after four months, you will need to pay online subscription. The recommeded retail price is £29.99 and the game is available to purchase with the following retailers - Play.com, Amazon.co.uk, HMV.com. There is a variety of offers and the discount prices are up to 40% (plus shipping costs).

The release of the game has been accompanied by media hype, largely due to the reviews that appeared on gaming sites. Eurogamer rated the online FM version 8/10, Videogamer one point higher, while IGN, gave it 8.2. The game gets good reviews and no wonder the links to those reviews are availabe at the official FM Live site - the reviewers agree: this engrossing and highly playable game takes a fresh look at football management games.

Allowing for a launch of online sales and increased activity of gaming sites reviewing the game, January 2009 has been a very important month in a short FM Live history. As for the game itself, new features have also came this month on 8 January with the release of an 1.1 update. The most interesting include team biography, in which - in addition to a brief description of your club - you can find out what type of supportes you have and what opinions specific groups of fans have on your team. A new World Champion institution has been added, which is a trophy that you can win - just like in boxing - by defeating current World Champion. A new TV Lounge chat has been also added, which is mainly for displaying the goalscorers in matches that take place at given time rather than for gossiping. Also, a new managerial skill has been added which tells how well you can handle with infrastructure expansion. The latter will be more of use soon, on 28 January, when another game update is released (1.1.1 version), which will brings stadium expansion option. Let's hope the upcoming months will bring even more news on FM Live this year.