MLB: The Show
MLB: The Show is a Major League Baseball video game series created and produced by San Diego Studio, a development team that is part of PlayStation Studios. The series has received critical and commercial acclaim,[1][2][3][4] and since 2014 has been the sole MLB baseball simulation video game on the market for consoles.[5]
MLB: The Show | |
---|---|
Genre(s) | Sports |
Developer(s) | San Diego Studio |
Publisher(s) | |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch |
First release | (989 Sports version MLB '98) (San Diego Studio version MLB 06: The Show) June 30, 1997, February 28, 2006 |
Latest release | MLB The Show 23 March 28, 2023 |
The series debuted in 2006 with MLB 06: The Show for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, following the MLB series from 989 Sports. There has been a new release in the series every year since 2006.
The series was released on PlayStation 2 from 2006's MLB 06: The Show through 2011's MLB 11: The Show and was available on the PlayStation 3 from MLB 07: The Show through MLB The Show 16. Portable versions of the series for either the PlayStation Portable or PlayStation Vita accompanied every entry from MLB 06: The Show through MLB 15: The Show. The series started releasing on the PlayStation 4 with MLB 14: The Show.
After over two decades of exclusivity with PlayStation consoles, MLB: The Show ceased to be an exclusive PlayStation franchise, and was released on other console platforms, though the edition of the game at the time—MLB The Show 20—was a PlayStation 4 exclusive.[5] MLB The Show 21 is the first title in the series to feature on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, with those editions being co-published by MLB Advanced Media digitally. MLB The Show 22 is the first game of the series to be on a Nintendo console, released on the Nintendo Switch.[6]
Gameplay
Gameplay simulates a game of professional baseball, with the player controlling an entire team, a team's manager, or a select player. The player may take control of one of 30 Major League Baseball teams in any game mode and also is able to chose from 6 special team including NL and AL all star teams. (excluding Road to the Show) and use that team in gameplay. The Series has variable game modes in which a player takes control of a team for a single game, one season, or a franchise (multiple seasons). [7]
Predecessors from 989 Sports
Game | Release date | Cover Athlete | Platforms | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Star | Team | |||
MLB '98 | July 1, 1997 | Bernie Williams | New York Yankees | PlayStation |
MLB '99 | March 31, 1998 | Cal Ripken Jr. | Baltimore Orioles | |
MLB 2000 | February 28, 1999 | Mo Vaughn | Anaheim Angels | |
MLB 2001 | February 29, 2000 | Chipper Jones | Atlanta Braves | |
MLB 2002 | May 7, 2001 | Andruw Jones | ||
MLB 2003 | June 17, 2002 | Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | |
MLB 2004 | April 30, 2003 | Shawn Green | Los Angeles Dodgers | PlayStation, PlayStation 2 |
MLB 2005 | March 4, 2004 | Eric Chavez | Oakland Athletics | |
MLB 2006 | March 8, 2005 | Vladimir Guerrero | Los Angeles Angels | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable |
Games
Special Edition Covers
Game | Star | Team |
---|---|---|
MLB The Show 21 | Jackie Robinson | Brooklyn Dodgers |
MLB The Show 22 | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Angels |
MLB The Show 23 | Derek Jeter | New York Yankees |
International Covers
Game | Star | Team |
---|---|---|
MLB 13: The Show | Wei-Yin Chen | Baltimore Orioles |
MLB 14: The Show | ||
MLB 15: The Show | ||
MLB The Show 16 | Miami Marlins | |
MLB The Show 17 | ||
Commentators
Commentator | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Total appearances |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Matt Vasgersian | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
Dave Campbell | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
Rex Hudler | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
Eric Karros | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
Steve Lyons | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
Harold Reynolds | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Dan Plesac | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
Mark DeRosa | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
Heidi Watney | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Jon "Boog" Sciambi | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Chris Singleton | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
Reception and sales
Year | Game | Sales |
---|---|---|
1997 | MLB '98 | |
1998 | MLB '99 | 2.52 million |
1999 | MLB 2000 | |
2000 | MLB 2001 | |
2001 | MLB 2002 | |
2002 | MLB 2003 | |
2003 | MLB 2004 | 660,000 |
2004 | MLB 2005 | 900,000 |
2005 | MLB 2006 | 400,000 |
2006 | MLB 06: The Show | 940,000 (PS2), 350,000 (PSP) |
2007 | MLB 07: The Show | 930,000 (PS2), 280,000 (PS3), 280,000 (PSP) |
2008 | MLB 08: The Show | 420,000 (PS2), 700,000 (PS3), 330,000 (PSP) |
2009 | MLB 09: The Show | 330,000 (PS2), 720,000 (PS3), 270,000 (PSP) |
2010 | MLB 10: The Show | 410,000 (PS2), 730,000 (PS3), 210,000 (PSP) |
2011 | MLB 11: The Show | 130,000 (PS2), 590,000 (PS3), 180,000 (PSP) |
2012 | MLB 12: The Show | 930,000 (PS3), 200,000 (PSV) |
2013 | MLB 13: The Show | 840,000 (PS3), 150,000 (PSV) |
2014 | MLB 14: The Show | 430,000 (PS3), 730,000 (PS4), 120,000 (PSV) |
2015 | MLB 15: The Show | 400,000 (PS3), 1.01 million (PS4), 40,000 (PSV) |
2016 | MLB The Show 16 | 380,000 (PS3), 960,000 (PS4) |
2017 | MLB The Show 17 | 1.16 million |
2018 | MLB The Show 18 | 1.06 million |
2019 | MLB The Show 19 | |
2020 | MLB The Show 20 | |
2021 | MLB The Show 21 | 2 million[8] |
References
- "MLB 11: The Show". Metacritic. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- "MLB 12: The Show". Metacritic. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- "MLB 09: The Show". Metacritic. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- Square, Push (2020-01-17). "MLB The Show 19 Is the Best-Selling Baseball Game of All Time". Push Square. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- "MLB The Show is Set to Begin Arriving on New Platforms as Soon as 2021". DualShockers. 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- Good, Owen S. (2022-01-31). "MLB The Show plays ball on Nintendo Switch this April". Polygon. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
- Kato, Matthew. "The Sports Desk – 48 MLB The Show 17 Details: Gameplay, Graphics, Diamond Dynasty & Road To The Show". gameinformer.com. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
- "PlayStation 5 Surpasses 10 Million Units Sold, Remains the Fastest Selling Console in Sony Interactive Entertainment History". www.businesswire.com. 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2021-07-28.