Update: It's official, Sony is publishing a game on the Xbox, with MLB The Show 21 coming to the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox One in April. This isn't massively shocking as it was previously announced that the series was going multi-platform (see the original story below), but where's the Switch version?
Nintendo responded via its official Twitter account to the 2019 announcement regarding the future of the franchise, but there's been no word on when MLB The Show is coming to Nintendo's console. As you can see, the console's name isn't present in the trailer above.
Could Nintendo be 'saving' this one for a Direct broadcast? Let us know by posting your thoughts below.
Original Story [Tue 10th Dec, 2019 03:05 GMT]: Baseball fans who don't own a PlayStation will be pleased to hear the long-running sports series MLB The Show is no longer exclusive to Sony's hardware.
Today, Major League Baseball (MLB), the Major League Baseball Players Association, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and San Diego Studio announced multi-year extensions to continue the development of the officially licensed video game.
Alongside this, was the reveal the long-running franchise would also be coming to "additional console platforms beyond PlayStation" as early as 2021. More information will be revealed at a later date.
Nintendo of America even retweeted the news to show its excitement:
Tell us below if you would like to play this series on the Nintendo Switch.
[source mlb.com]
Comments 95
Sweet.
While Madden NFL is what my heart truly desires, this will be nice to have on Switch.
Day freaking one! Best sports game in video games imo. While there's other good ones The Show has it nailed down!
Yoooo, i’m frickin pumped. The Show games have always been my favorite sports titles on the PlayStation. I’m so happy the series is coming to the Switch.
I've heard great things about this series.
Would be awesome for it to make its Nintendo debut!
Gimme Madden on the Switch already! The show is cool but PGA or Football would really make the mark.
This is huge! These are some of the best sports games out there!
This is my favorite game franchise. Amazing news
Very nice. Not really interested in the PlayStation brand anymore, but The Show was one of the few PS exclusives I'm still interested in.
No more away games.
YES!.... please, please a handheld version - It would be amazing on Switch!
Japan liked that
@Prof_Yoshtonics @JHDK
Same boat. Would love Madden on Switch.
But for now sign up for the Xcloud Beta. If you get in can play Madden20 for free on the GO while you wait.
https://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-game-streaming/project-xcloud
It's about time, I never liked how MLB was locked behind Sony.
I’ve been saying for years: I’m very interested in The Show, but just didn’t want to play it tethered to a single tv. Nothing against the game- it wasn’t at fault, but once you “Switch” to a gaming platform which conforms to your lifestyle and the limitations of living in a mobile world, rather than the other way around and demanding you conform to its limitations being stuck on a single TV screen, it’s hard to go back.
I was a baseball fanatic all throughout my childhood. Not much into watching or following sports now, but I do still like playing sports video games, provided they’re great games. What I really wanted was soccer, baseball and hockey (and motion control golf, but I’m waiting on Mario Golf for that). Got FIFA for soccer, and now The Show for baseball! On a hybrid system? That’s huge! This is the only baseball game worth it’s salt.
Now if only we could get a good hockey game. But they don’t make em like they used to. NHL 2002. That game was so good.
@JHDK I would like to see someone make a NFL 2K like football game without the worry of using license teams or players.
Oh man. Day one. Shoot. That means itll probably be on pc too. DAY ONE ON BOTH. NOW BRING ME MY NFL.
Great news for Switch and Xbox owners!!!!
See ya on The Show '21. 😉
Awesome news, though people Super Mega Baseball 2 is a blast. I'm playing 2-3 games a night on it, great game that looks arcadey but has simulation quality. Good stuff.
Holy cow. This opens the floodgates for other Sony exclusives to come to Switch, like Jak and Daxter, which I think would resonate really well with Nintendo audiences. We love our platformers. If that happens, yet another of my "impossible" Switch hopes will come true.
So SIE keeps the rights but will still put the game(s) on other platforms? Interesting.
This would be huge. While there is no competition essentially (RBI Baseball really doesn't count), the Show has always kept the gold standard golden. If this makes it to the Switch, owl be buying for sure.
Still waiting for Madden on the Switch...
Well, I'm a huge baseball fan, and miss the old N64 All-Star Baseball days, so this sounds sweet!
@XCWarrior Tried the demo for that one a couple weeks ago, was really fun. Definitely be visiting the eShop this Christmas.
Major League Baseball drove a dump truck full of money to our office.
@Not_Soos Remember, Sony doesn't own this "franchise". It's a very different situation. It was either losing the rights altogether, or developing it for other platforms.
Anything else coming to Switch is like Mario going to Xbox and PlayStation: Unlikely.
So I’m guessing it costs too much to develop to have it on only the PS4, and this is a way to improve sales?
@Octane Ah, I see. I don't follow Sony, so I wasn't aware of that. Still, it's a step in the right direction, as I would have expected Sony to be too conservative to become essentially a third-party publisher for this release. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but the news about crossplay coming to Minecraft on PlayStation suggests to me that they are slowly opening the floodgates.
This is making me so happy that I chose Nintendo and Microsoft.
I love baseball. Not having MLB the Show hurt more than any other exclusive. NO MOAR! 😃
Great day for hardcore baseball fans who enjoying playing video game versions of the sport. Only thing I'd caution is for those who prefer more arcadey type games, this is very much a simulation. If you're a baseball purist I think you'll love this, if you're a more casual fan of the sport and the type of games you like are ones like the old Ken Griffey Jr series, you probably won't enjoy The Show too much.
One aspect I do think everybody who has seen these games can appreciate though is the presentation. It really is like watching a broadcast on tv.
@Kainbrightside NFL Street on the Switch would be amazing. I'll take APF2k8 or Backbreaker even, but NFL Street still my fav. football game of all-time.
@Not_Soos Sony has always had crossplay just not with consoles it was only with the pc
This game rocks. I think it’ll be really suited to playing handheld on the go. Hopefully they don’t strip a lot of the content out.
I have never understood why Nintendo has disregarded sports games for do long. Like it or not, millions upon millions of players buy sports games every year. Nintendo should actively try to cater to this audience, like they used to up through the N64 era, and even into the GameCube early days.
Sly, Ratchet, or Jak for Smash.
@XCWarrior couldn't agree more - picked Super Mega Baseball 2 up a few weeks ago and haven't looked back. Great game.
Cool go gettem Nintendo
@MrGawain No, I don't think so. If that was the case, they would've dropped the license years ago. Sony doesn't own the MLB franchise, MLB does. And looking at FIFA, they were probably not happy with the sales. I think they demanded a multiplat release, so for Sony it was either losing the rights altogether or developing for multiple platforms and still making a profit out of it.
I wonder if this will have any affect on the quality of the franchise. Exclusive games exist to sell consoles, not necessarily to make money. If they're forced this route, and I can see it ending up becoming a lootbox fest like FIFA in just a matter of years. When it doesn't exist to sell consoles, and it simply exists to make money, it seems like anything is possible when it comes to monetisation.
Baseball? Boooring. Cricket, on the other hand, is greatest of all the sports.
great news! I'd definitely buy the show on switch. that said, Super Mega Baseball 2 >>>>
Huh, did not see this coming.
@LaytonPuzzle27 they did. Think it even had real players from the past in it. Made by 2K. For some reason it bombed. I never played it, but yeah, 2K5 on Xbox was the best football game hands down. Still my personnel favorite.
Rest of the world:
Americans: Hell yeah give us Madden and MLB on Switch!!
@pinta_vodki Japan, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Taiwan are just some of the places I know that care about baseball (and possibly more than the US in some cases).
The question will be are they going to include some of the other leagues (ala FIFA)?
Oh that's cool, current baseball offerings are kinda slim on the switch so that will be nice for the MLB fans. Somebody tell EA about that and putting NHL on switch (yeah I know, will never happen but still...)
This will be huge for mlb and Nintendo. Baseball is extremely popular in Japan and now the game will eventually be available on the two most popular consoles in japan. Hopefully this encourages the company to add international teams to the games
@construx have fun waiting, EA and Nintendo’s relationship has always been peculiar
@Camari : they published at least one iteration of Madden on the Gameboy Advance, DS, 3DS, Wii and Wii U, too.
It would be very strange if they didn't publish one on the Switch.
@Octane Yeah it seems a deal was made between Sony and MLB. As you see Sony's name and some of it's developer's are still tied to the "Show" franchise. I don't know how true that is that Sony is still involved, but it looks that way. Sony did say that you will start seeing MP/mulitplayer titles go multiplatform. I guess this was one of the examples of it. This is great news for Xbox and Switch owners. The Show is definitely the best baseball game I've ever played (realism). I still have a soft spot for Super Mario Baseball for the Wii. We need one for the Switch.
Now all we need is for EA to put madden on the switch
@Rafie They still develop the games; they're made by Sony San Diego Studios.
Wow!! That would be filling a MUCH needed sports gap on the Switch!! All we need now is madden & NHL!! Wtf EA!!
I guess the theme of this site is as long as the game doesn't come to Nintendo it is trash but as soon as it's announced then it becomes must buy.
@sixrings "I guess the theme of this site is as long as the game doesn't come to Nintendo it is trash but as soon as it's announced then it becomes must buy."
That would be something Fandom's would say. I am not buying MLB or NBK-my choice. So don't pigeon hole us Gamers into the same pot you jumped from.
I wish Sony would get the license to NBA again. They have down great with MLB while EA and 2K are trying to hard to push microtransactions in their games.
This is superb news. The Show is hands-down the best sports sim out there across the board. So glad it's coming to the Switch.
@Octane For now, yes Sony is still developing. However, we don't know if that will be true for the Switch.
@Rafie True, they will probably outsource that one.
last games in the series I played was 08 and 09 on PS2 still have them would play them again too just need AV cable for PS2 just lazy to get one
@Spoony_Tech agreed! No mans sky and MLB the show were the main reason I still own a PS4. Hopefully MLB comes to the switch and maybe NMS someday lol
Woohoo! Finally some good MLB action on Nintendo! It's sad that the only good MLB licensed game on a Nintendo platform in over 2 decades had the MLB players playing alongside the Nicktoons.
Okay... what's next? Where's my waterpolo videogame?
Sony are contractually obligated to release on any platform that requests it. Nintendo did put in a request so I am guessing it will be released later like the vita versions.
I'm sure we'll hear about a Switch port, soon.
Sounds about right. We'll probably get it at the start of football season when no one cares about baseball
You updated a 14 month old article? That's some serious dedication to your craft @Liam_Doolan 👍
Hopefully the Switch version is at least up to the standards of the PS4 version and not a reskin of the 2016 PS3 version. 😛
Technically, it's still owned by Sony and they can easily make it to where it's their exclusive again, just like Microsoft can make Minecraft exclusive again. But other than that, there isn't really a major baseball game on the other consoles, besides the RBI Baseball titles that have been coming out, so it's a good thing. The sports scene for most consoles seem to dwindle anymore. I'm sure nintendo will get their version later on down the road. MLB 20 just came out, so MLB 21 still has some time to be made and completed. Until then, nintendo, why not bring back some of your own exclusive sports titles...NBA Courtside was a pretty decent basketball game and exclusive on the Gamecube, but it ended. If not a 'realistic' sports title, how about a new Mario Sluggers title?!!!!
@JLPick Sony has 100% no choice whatsoever about this game going multiplatform. MLB demanded it would release for multiple platforms or the license agreement never would've went through for Sony.
More surprised a PC port wasn't announced, since it would be easier to port to PC and follows Sony's strategy of selectively porting their content to PC (after Horizon Zero Dawn).
@JLPick As has already been noted, Sony didn’t do this out of kindness, or even wanting more money/sales. If they want to keep the MLB license they had to go multi platform. I’m curious to see how much is cut from the Switch version, because we know there will be cuts.
The article mentions the possibility of the Switch announcement being held back for a possible Direct. This is always a reason given when there’s no mention of Switch. Is there value to holding back 3rd party game announcements? Seems it’d be better to be included in the original release announcement.
I'm seeing quite a few commentaries on MLB: The Show 21 coming to Nintendo Switch. If I'm reading this story appropriately it in no way confirms a Switch port of MLB: The Show 21 for Nintendo Switch. It was completely absent from the trailer released today. Maybe there is hope they will announce this on a future Nintendo Direct or Direct Mini Partner Showcase or even a separate trailer from Nintendo's YouTube channel but if it is truly confirmed that this isn't coming to Switch then it doesn't surprise me at all. I always felt the game would be a visual/graphical showcase that the Switch just couldn't run. We'll see though. As Jack Nicholson playing Garrett Breedlove in Terms of Endearment and The Evening Star might say, "There are still some shopping days left before Christmas." Out!
@RareAir23 When the story first broke in 2019, Nintendo’s official Twitter account (as did XBox), retweeted or replied. I don’t think they would have responded if something wasn’t in the works. It did say “as soon as 2021” so who knows.
Having more sports games on the Switch? Not that I would be particularly interested, but I'm glad that it's no longer a Sony exclusive.
@JLPick because releasing NBA courtside would see it completely bomb. Why would anyone buy it when a far superior basketball game exists with NBA 2k series. There is a reason why even EA are not competing with 2K sports when it comes to basketball Sims.
I wonder if they will purposely make it less impressive on Xbox and just blame the developers saying unfamiliarity with the architecture caused it.
I'm a fan of the sports but not the sports videogames.
Another sports game which will likely underperform on Switch, especially as the Devs start to target new gen systems.
I just wish more companies will create exclusive games for switch that run well on the hardware instead of these ports that always suffer from heavy cutbacks.
Weird, not on PC either.
Tried the one they gave away on PS plus (19 I think?). Very boring IMO. The Gran Tursmo of baseball.
I hope it will be on switch too but i highly doubt that.
im still waiting for WRC9 which was due in Sept.... this is what happens when your system needs more work to port games.
@Mr-Fuggles777 please let me know which other sports games excluding FIFA have seen publishers make comments on underperforming switch titles.
@sixrings I think that has been silently cancelled
So Switch doesn't have tickets for the Show?
Aww, seemed like a lot of folk were hyped for this.
Hmm...also probably a nice candidate for a Partner Showcase along with Apex Legends...
@kobashi100 are there any other sports games apart from Fifa and NBA on switch?
@GrailUK or switch and PC versions canned this year due to covid. To be fair to San Diego Studios, going from developing for one platform to then seven in a year we have had a global pandemic is tough and a big ask. Getting all out on release date would be some effort.
@Mr-Fuggles777 you implied switch sports games are underperforming. I just wanna know which ones.
@kobashi100 Yes, yes you are quite right. Ahem. I forgot myself for a moment there. Thank you.
Oh wait! Maybe it's going to be a launch title for the Switch Pro!!!!
(hee hee)
It’s a brilliant game but oh man, playing with the Joy-Con sticks would be soul-destroying.
Seems the MLB are publishing the Xbox version by the way and not Sony.
@kobashi100 considering that there is pretty much only Fifa on Switch the fact its been the exact same game for the last 3 years shows the system can't handle the full version - or it's too much work to get the current version working.
@Mr-Fuggles777 don't really see what that has to do with switch sports games underperforming like you implied with original comment. 2k seem to be happy with NBA 2k sales. Remember they had no issue commentating on the Wii U version bombing and how they were no longer gonna release the game on that console.
The Super mega baseball publishers don't seem to be upset about switch sales. Yes there is not many sports titles on switch but the ones it does have seem to be hitting the publishers targets.
By the way I only just realised you may have meant underperforming in performance rather than sales. My bad if thats the case dude and you can ignore everything I said lol
@kobashi100 I was referring to the performance not sales lol.
If it will get a Switch version - even if it's downgraded like crazy - I am going nuts and call 2021 already a success.
@JHDK Hey Sony, Nintendo Switch wants Uncharted since you're playing nice with Microsoft. 😂
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