MLB wants to expand the potential of its video game
MLB: The Show 21 is on Xbox Game Pass due to a request from the licensee, Sony said.
The baseball game was created by Sony’s San Diego studio and has been exclusive to PlayStation platforms for 15 years.
However, in 2019 the license had to be renewed and MLB requested that the game be released on more platforms in an effort to expand the reach of the franchise. But more than that, the game has also appeared on Xbox’s Game Pass subscription service, a decision that was also up to MLB.
“As part of the goal for this year’s game, MLB decided to bring the franchise to more players and baseball fans,” the company told Inverse. “This decision represents a unique opportunity to further establish MLB The Show as the premier baseball video game brand.”
It’s not common to see a first-party game from PlayStation appear on other platforms, but the tactic has been successful for its rivals in the past. For example, Minecraft from Microsoft is one of the most popular third-party games on Nintendo Switch.
Sports games, meanwhile, can be hugely lucrative, with the NBA 2K, FIFA and Madden franchises generating significant revenue for Take-Two and EA. Indeed, the commercial potential of this genre sparked a bidding war between Take-Two and EA over F1 game developer Codemasters. In that context, MLB’s interest in reaching more players through Game Pass and other platforms makes sense, and Sony could benefit from that too.