EA has admitted that FIFA 23 was accidentally released a month early for some players on Xbox.
EA Sports previously announced that FIFA 23 was set for a worldwide release on Friday, September 30, 2022, but some Xbox users were able to download and access the Xbox One version of the game on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, a whole month before release day. The glitch was trending on social media, with players able to download the Xbox One version of FIFA 23 on Xbox Series X/S and get access to the full game.
The glitch allowed players to play the full game and access all game modes including the FIFA Ultimate Team game mode and more. Some social media accounts started leaking ratings for Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, but EA has confirmed that these may not be final. Some social media users received copyright strikes as a result of these leaks.
Some players with EA Play were also granted access to the full version of FIFA 23, despite EA Play members being meant to get access from September 27, 2022. Some players even live streamed the game on Twitch.
Now, over 24 hours after the glitch was discovered by the FIFA community, EA has admitted that it had "unintentionally" given some players access to FIFA 23 a month early.
"Yesterday we unintentionally gave a small number of players access to a two-hour trial of the Xbox One version of FIFA 23 that shouldn’t be available yet," Read EA's statement via their @EAFIFADirect Twitter account.
"Not all content was final. We’ve removed that access, and we’ll be ready to welcome everyone in at launch in September."
The glitch appears to be fixed, with players no longer having access to FIFA 23 on Xbox.
FIFA 23 is developed by EA Vancouver and EA Romania and will be available worldwide on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Stadia, PS4, and Xbox One on September 30. Early access for FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition begins on September 27, 2022.
