EA Sports FC 27 Closed Beta Gameplay Leaks Show New Open-World Mode
A closed beta for EA Sports FC 27 has reportedly been leaked after an embargo was breached, with two separate gameplay uploads showing a new open-world mode. Early reactions from players and fans have been sharply negative, with criticism targeting the mode’s design choices and even specific character animation behavior.
Two leaked gameplays break the closed beta embargo
The leak surfaced via Reddit, where the community highlighted that two closed-beta gameplay videos were posted to YouTube and remained available at the time of reporting, without being taken down by Electronic Arts. The clips depict exploration inside EA Sports FC 27’s newly announced open-world mode, including walking around, interacting with locations and characters.
It’s also important to note that the footage comes from a beta build, meaning it may not perfectly match the final release. Still, the community response implies that players expect beta-to-launch differences to be relatively limited.
Community backlash: unnecessary mode, NBA 2K influence, and odd running animation
Viewers and commenters reportedly entered the beta with low expectations for the open-world concept, which many consider unnecessary. A major point of contention is the perceived attempt to attract younger audiences—an approach fans associate with trends seen in games such as Fortnite and Roblox.
The open-world direction also drew comparisons to NBA 2K, which has featured an open-world neighborhood area in past entries, and that similarity has been part of the criticism as well.
Beyond the mode itself, some negative attention focused on presentation and movement. Memes reportedly spread around the player character’s running animation, which was described as strange and unrealistic. Whether the behavior comes from the selected avatar or from Electronic Arts decisions is unknown.
Players who had access to the beta but were not allowed to share images or information reportedly ended up “deeply disappointed” by what they saw. One quoted reaction captured the frustration bluntly: “My God, this is horrible. Who the hell thought this would be a good idea?”
What happens next: will criticism hurt EA Sports FC 27’s 2026 prospects?
The new open-world mode has been criticized before, with NBA 2K cited as the example—despite backlash, the basketball franchise continues to sell strongly every year. That history fuels the uncertainty around whether EA Sports FC 27 will be similarly insulated from early online complaints.
The stakes are framed as high for EA Sports, with the expectation that EA Sports FC 27 could still become one of the biggest games of 2026 if the broader market tunes out the negative feedback. Conversely, a serious decline would be compared to franchises that lost momentum after earlier peaks, with Call of Duty used as the cautionary example—its success falling compared to the era of Call of Duty: Warzone and the first games in the Modern Warfare reboot.
For now, attention will likely shift to whether Electronic Arts meaningfully adjusts the open-world experience—or whether the final product largely preserves the beta’s key feel and features—because that outcome will determine whether the mode’s critics fade or gain traction.
