The news that MLB The Show 21 would not only cease to be a PlayStation exclusive but also launch on day one on Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass certainly raised a few eyebrows, particularly as the developer is none other than Sony's own San Diego studio.
If you guessed that wasn't really up to Sony but rather the license holder Major League Baseball, a statement relayed to Inverse from a Sony spokesperson confirmed as much.
As part of the goal for this year’s game, MLB decided to bring the franchise to more players and baseball fans. This decision provides a unique opportunity to further establish MLB The Show as the premier brand for baseball video games.
It's unlikely we'll see any other Xbox Game Pass releases from Sony in the near future.
MLB The Show 21 is due to launch on April 20th on Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 with full crossplay functionality. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users will also get to play it on Android (and soon iOS, too) devices via cloud streaming, though.
Below we've added a compilation of improvements confirmed by the developer to be in this year's edition.
- Learn the ropes so you, too, can make impressive off-the-wall catches and notch up your gameplay. We have added a route to ball indicator to help you in the field, improved the throw accuracy meter to help you show off your cannon, and have built in assists to make jumps and dives more intuitive. New to MLB The Show, Casual mode teaches you all the gameplay mechanics of The Show while letting you hit dingers to your heart’s content.
- In MLB The Show 21, for the first time your Ballplayer can be a two-way player, expanding flexibility in player position options. Enjoy a revamped player progression system that emphasizes adaptability and variety. Finally use your centralized ballplayer in Road to the Show, online in Diamond Dynasty, Programs and Moments.
- You want bat flips? We have bat flips. In fact, we have added over 100 new personalized bat flips, home run swings, and bat tosses. We’ve also got 140 new batting stances, 250 redone batting stances, 160 new pitching animations, 180 redone pitching animations, and more than 1,000 new fielding animations.
- Fans of MLB The Show have patiently waited for the ability to build their dream ballpark in-game, and we are happy to say that the wait is nearly over. MLB The Show 21 gives you the ability to build and customize stadiums with over 1,000 pieces ranging from foul poles, signs, buildings, and much more. The developers have designed specific stadium kits ranging from realistic to fantasy, giving players the ability to create bespoke layouts, dimensions, wall heights, and more while being able to use created stadiums in both Diamond Dynasty and Franchise modes. With an internet connection, the fun doesn’t stop there as players can share, edit and play in stadiums created by fellow MLB The Show community members, too.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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