Chelsea forward Cole Palmer seemed to have his Twitch channel taken offline on Tuesday after he was seen playing EA Sports FC 27 several hours before the publisher’s planned gameplay reveal. Supporters watching the broadcast said the channel went offline soon after, sparking immediate speculation that EA had imposed a suspension.
Electronic Arts revealed on September 10 that the first exclusive FC 27 gameplay look will be streamed on Tuesday, September 15, on the official EA Sports FC channels on Twitch and YouTube. The title launches worldwide on September 25, with Ultimate Edition and Ultimate Plus Edition purchasers gaining early access from September 18, meaning the England international was showing a build still firmly under embargo.
The publisher’s verified account jumped into Palmer’s own chat while the broadcast was still live, writing:
“Errr @colep10… weren’t we going to do this a bit later? We’ll be going live a little later at 6pm UK!”
The intervention suggests the 24-year-old had just gone live too early. He is also the most visible footballer in the series and currently has an 85 overall rating on FC 27. Neither Twitch nor Chelsea has made any public comments, and it’s unclear how long any suspension might last. In the past, embargo violations have resulted in brief, temporary deplatformings, rather than permanent sanctions.
Cole Palmer’s Chelsea form ahead of Brentford clash
The episode comes at a much more positive time for Palmer, who has gained influence under new Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso. He scored and assisted in the Spaniard’s first Premier League game, a 3-2 win at Fulham and is the club’s top scorer in all competitions with four goals.
But Saturday’s 2-2 draw with newly promoted Hull City at Stamford Bridge showed a continuing lack of cutting edge to the Blues’ attack. Palmer provided the assist for Joao Pedro’s equaliser in the 66th minute, making three key passes and creating two big chances. Chelsea had 68% possession and 36 touches in the opposition box to Hull’s 15, but the visitors had the better expected goals total, 1.49 to 0.89.
That gap between territorial dominance and genuine chance quality is the main concern for Alonso, whose side sit in sixth. On the weekend (Friday 18 September), Chelsea travel to Brentford, the very night EA Sports FC 27 opens to early access holders.