Questioning Past Features: Was "Face in the Game" Real and Was I a Part of It?

[masku]

Hello FM community 

I have a faint recollection of possibly participating in something called the "Face in the Game" campaign many years ago, where fans could submit their names and perhaps photos for a chance to become a "newgen" in future Football Manager editions. I've tried searching online for this campaign, but my searches haven't yielded any conclusive results, leaving me even more curious about its authenticity.

My intrigue was further piqued by an online post where someone was nostalgically reminiscing about their star player from an earlier FM edition. Intriguingly, this player had my exact name, hailed from my nation, and played in the position that I would have chosen if I had indeed made a submission. It's worth noting that my name combination isn't one of the most common ones, and there aren't many individuals with that exact combination, making this discovery even more captivating.

So, I'm reaching out with a couple of questions:

Was there truly a "Face in the Game" campaign in past FM editions? If so, during which editions might it have been active?

Given the alignment of details, is there any way to determine if this "newgen" player could have been based on information I might have submitted back in the day?

The thought of a digital version of me possibly existing within the FM universe is nothing short of thrilling. 

Any insights or clarifications would be immensely appreciated.

Edited September 27, 2023 by masku

[XaW]

If you load up FM23 and search for "faceinthegame" (no spaces or quotation marks", you'll get everyone that has been added as future newgens (most will show up after a few in-game years, since teh newgens need to be actually created and that can take a few years). Mostly SI staff and such. So if you ever won a competition like that you should show up, I suppose.

If you see your name on that list, it should have the date of birth (not year, but month and day), the height would be the one you added, as will the position, and any favourite teams or players.

So search and go wild!

If you don't have FM23, PM me your name and I'll check in one of my games, and give you a screenshot if I find you.

Also, seeing you have listed Start as your club, if you are Norwegian, feel free to PM me in Norwegian if you want!  

[masku]

I've done some research and stumbled upon this old forum post: https://community.sigames.com/forums/topic/378300-which-version-was-face-in-the-game/. It confirmed my suspicions: there indeed was such a campaign where fans could be featured in the game. It seems I wasn't the only one to potentially be featured.

I tried the "faceinthegame" search trick on various FM versions and did not find myself, but I gathered some insights. XaW told me that the number of players that appear varies when using this method. It appears you can only find players that have emerged in the game. Meaning, in a brand-new game, you won't see any, and you'll have to play quite extensively to reveal them all. The longer you play, the more names surface.

Since I had no saved game backups, I couldn't retrieve any names when searching in-game.

Edited September 27, 2023 by masku

[Marc Vaughan]

The first time face in the game was run was a long, long time ago ... back in the dim-mists of 2005 when I was young

https://www.eurogamer.net/news130804fm2005

[KillYourIdols]

Wasn't there a competition a few years back where the winner would appear on the game Artwork/Promo Material the following edition as well?

[starbugg]

I remember submitting a picture of me on holiday in the Costa Del Sol and then finding it in game