Football nostalgia meets deck-building strategy in NUTMEG!, the upcoming retro-inspired football management game from Secret Mode and Sumo Sheffield. As revealed at IGN Fan Fest 2025, players can now download and play the Matchday Experience demo on Steam — a first look at this unique card-based take on classic football moments.
Step Onto the Pitch and Rewrite History
The Matchday Experience demo invites fans to relive — and rewrite — four legendary matches from English football’s golden era of the 1980s and 1990s. Whether you’re guiding underdogs or rewriting history for top-flight teams, each match offers a nostalgic yet tactical challenge for fans of all generations.
Choose from six playable scenarios, including:
- Oxford vs. QPR (1986 Milk Cup Final) – Recreate Oxford’s 3–0 victory or rewrite the script as the Park Rangers.
- Charlton vs. Sunderland (1998 Play-Off Final) – Handle the tension without taking it to penalties.
- Wimbledon vs. Liverpool – Become a giant killer and shock the mighty Reds.
- Grimsby vs. Manchester United – Defy the odds against the era’s footballing giants.
Every match unfolds through fast-paced, card-driven mechanics that determine your tactical success. You’ll balance attack and defense, make split-second decisions, and use special cards to shift momentum — all in pursuit of the ultimate three points.
A New Way to Play the Beautiful Game
The NUTMEG! Matchday Experience focuses entirely on matchday strategy, letting players explore its distinct card battler gameplay. Each match challenges you to manage your deck, react to your opponent’s tactics, and capitalize on every opportunity.
While the full release will introduce a deep management layer — including player transfers, stadium upgrades, youth development, and financial control — this demo is all about experiencing how cards and football tactics combine to create something entirely new.
NUTMEG! is shaping up to be a refreshing spin on the management genre, where “getting cards” is not a red flag — it’s your key to victory.
Build Your Club, Craft Your Deck
When the full game launches in 2026, players will embark on a 20-year managerial journey across the English football divisions, set during the sport’s most iconic decades.
Highlights include:
- Deck-Building Gameplay – Earn and combine cards to enhance your play style.
- Dynamic Matches – Pick your line-ups, formations, and strategies in a “game of two halves.”
- Classic Football Setting – Experience the gritty charm of 80s and 90s English football.
- Career Mode Depth – Manage your club from the boardroom to the training pitch, oversee transfers, and hire staff.
- Authentic Challenges – Rise through four divisions, uncovering new clubs, rivals, and tactical opportunities each season.
The result is a football management experience unlike anything else — blending strategic deck-building with the heart and heritage of classic English football.
A Secret Mode x Sumo Sheffield Collaboration
Developed by Sumo Sheffield, veterans known for delivering high-quality AAA experiences, and published by Secret Mode, the award-winning indie publisher behind Still Wakes the Deep and A Little to the Left, NUTMEG! is a testament to British creativity and football culture.
Both studios share a passion for bringing innovative ideas to players, and NUTMEG! stands as a perfect fusion of sports nostalgia, strategy, and storytelling.
Download the Demo Now
The free Matchday Experience demo for NUTMEG! is available now on Steam, giving fans the first opportunity to see how tactical decisions, strategic deck-building, and football history come together in one clever, addictive package.
NUTMEG! officially launches on PC in 2026.
