[4] After the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union (EU) on 23 June 2016, Football Manager 2017 featured a form of Brexit,[5][6] with three possible scenarios: "business as usual" with no additional work visas needed;[7] current players would be grandfathered but new players would need work visas;[8] or a "hard Brexit" in-game scenario, which has Scotland voting for independence in a second referendum and remaining in the EU, whilst EU players would require working visas to play in any English, Welsh, or Northern Irish teams.

"[10] Osborn was also highly critical of the game's purely cosmetic addition of a face scanner and inclusion of social media, calling it "utterly inconsequential".

[17] On 21 August 2017, PC Games Insider published that Football Manager 2017 had sold its one-millionth copy.

This was the fifth time in succession that the Football Manager game had sold one million copies or more.

[18] Miles Jackobson of Sports Interactive also stated that Football Manager 2017 had sold one million copies, and the series had "5(th) game(s) in a row".