Last year’s Football Manager 26 wasn’t well received by fans, with many calling it a buggy, clunky mess. And for many, this was made worse by the fact that the series had skipped a year to give FM26 more development time. Now, likely in a move to win people back and show them things are better, this year’s Football Manager 27 is doing a free early-access preview launch.
On Wednesday, Sega and Sports Interactive announced that soccer management simulator Football Manager 27 will be free to play on PC and Mac ahead of its November 10 release. Starting on October 29 and through November 3, players will be able to download and try out the full Football Manager 27 game with no restrictions or extra steps needed. Players just need to “simply download [it] from your preferred platform” and play. This free preview will not be available on console.
“The FM27 Launch Preview replaces what has previously been titled Beta / Advanced Access, and it is intended to be closer in quality and finality to launch than previous early play builds,” explained Sports Interactive. “All games started during the free play period can be continued through to both the paid Launch Preview and full launch without the need to start again.”
The studio also directly addressed common complaints that many had about Football Manager 26, which still has mostly negative reviews on Steam. The devs promise a “clearer interface, enhanced match engine, and new layers of control on both the training ground and touchline.”
During this free preview, players will be able to pre-order FM27 for 10 percent less, and on Steam, they’ll be able to continue playing after the free preview ends on November 3 in the run-up to the game’s full launch on November 10.
This is all a bit strange, but considering how many fans were disappointed with FM26, it seems smart to let them all check out the next game for free. It signals that the studio is confident in FM27 and also lets players who felt burned by the last release hop in without having to spend a dime to see if this year’s entry is worth buying.