Football Manager 27 playtest leak warning issued to early access fans

Football Manager fans keen to get an early look at FM27 have been sent a clear warning by developers Sports Interactive. The studio opened up applications for playtesting a work-in-progress build of the next game in the series and more than 40,000 gamers put themselves forward. However, Sports Interactive have told fans that only a percentage of them will be selected. And there's an even bigger warning for anyone lucky enough to be picked to try out the next Football Manager title. While only a small number of the 40,000 applicants will be successful, playtesting comes under the condition of a Non-Disclosure Agreement. And a player can breach it simply by sharing the fact they have been invited to try out FM27. • Football Manager 27 release date window set as devs promise to fix FM26 flaws • Football Manager 27 playtest latest update confirms next steps for early access The warning came from Sports Interactive's new senior community manager, Chris Groves. He posted on the official FM forums: "Discussing your involvement in the Program (including sharing that you've been invited) is a breach of the NDA and can result in removal from the Program. "[I] Agree that some people will still choose to share this (either due to not understanding/reading, or not caring), and that's up to them, to put their access to the playtest at risk." The warning comes after Groves confirmed that playtest invitations are slowly being sent out to selected applicants. Beginning last Friday (September 4), successful applicants received instructions on how to join. However, the Alpha Playtest has not yet begun. Groves added: "Players who complete their onboarding will get another message at a later date when the Playtest is live. During onboarding you'll be asked to sign the Playtest NDA. Signing this prohibits folks from sharing any details from the Playtest - including mentioning that you're taking part. "Not all invites will be sent out at the same time - if you don't get one today, you may still get an invite." After a turbulent experience with FM26, which was plagued with bugs in the weeks following launch and introduced a controversial new UI, Sports Interactive will be hoping for a considerably warmer response to FM27. The release in November last year followed a rare year off for the series. Sports Interactive opted not to release FM25 on the basis that the game wasn't ready for publishing having been delayed twice. But now, the appetite for a new FM is clearly still there among fans. Football Manager 27 is scheduled to launch in November 2026.