News Post

With No New Baseball Game For the Xbox 360 on the Horizon, Does Anyone Actually Care?

11:35 AM - December 3, 2012 by Steve_OS

The odds aren't very good we'll see a new baseball game on the Xbox 360 next year. There isn't any news on the rumor mill. But does it really matter? The MLB The Show series, exclusive to Sony consoles and handheld devices, has been the top dog for years. Kotaku's Owen Good goes into much more detail in his latest Sportaku article.

Source - Will Anyone Really Care If There�s No More Baseball on the Xbox 360? (Kotaku)

How do you feel about it?

Member Comments

# 1 nemesis04 @ 12/03/12 12:24 PM

I think there will be baseball on the 360, something will emerge.

# 2 Money99 @ 12/03/12 12:27 PM

I doubt many people will care if there's no baseball on the Xbox, but I'm one of them.
I've really enjoyed 2k12 thus far. The only thing that's stopping me from playing it for all of 2013 is the player models and color palette.
If Fielder actually looked like Fielder (and didn't have the body type of Delmon Young), the game would have more longevity for me.

I'll still continue My Player on it though. That modes a lot of fun.

2K12 was on the right path. The game has it's flaws, but it's fun and plays a respectable brand of baseball.
I think if VC were given the reigns years ago, the series might have been saved.

Oh well.

# 3 boomhauertjs @ 12/03/12 01:02 PM

Microsoft owns the rights to High Heat Baseball. Why don't they release an XBL version of the game with updated rosters, uniforms, etc.?

# 4 Knight165 @ 12/03/12 01:34 PM

I think a good number of people will care and rightfully so.
My 360 died a number of months ago and I haven't replaced it. I just don't use it much any longer.
But if it was the same for my PS3 and I couldn't afford to replace it....I'd need my baseball fix.
Plus...it's just nice to have an alternative game.

Like nem stated....I think 360 owners will have a game in place for them in '13.
(and no...it won't be The Show(unfortunately for them

))

M.K.
Knight165

# 5 Money99 @ 12/03/12 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomhauertjs


	Microsoft owns the rights to High Heat Baseball. Why don't they release an XBL version of the game with updated rosters, uniforms, etc.?

Did MS ever do anything with that license? I remember them purchasing it years ago, but I don't recall any use coming of it.

# 6 tvman @ 12/03/12 02:40 PM

I'm hoping like heck that 2k will rethink 2k13. 2k12 is a darn good game and with some adjustments here and there could be great.

# 7 boomhauertjs @ 12/03/12 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Money99


	Did MS ever do anything with that license? I remember them purchasing it years ago, but I don't recall any use coming of it.

MS never did anything with the rights to High Heat after buying them from the bankrupt 3DO.

# 8 Money99 @ 12/03/12 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomhauertjs


	MS never did anything with the rights to High Heat after buying them from the bankrupt 3DO.

I wonder what the purpose was then?
Did they buy them out simply to remove a competitor, or did they have plans to do something with that engine?
Maybe they did use some of it's code in follow-up baseball games?

# 9 dorian813 @ 12/03/12 03:50 PM

not if you own a PS3, yeahya

# 10 DJ @ 12/03/12 04:03 PM

2K could still release a game, right? All they've given up is the exclusive license. As someone that owns both a 360 and PS3, I'd like to see a baseball game released next year for the 360. 2K10-12 were steps in the right direction.

# 11 mosdef328 @ 12/03/12 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daflyboys


	Nope. Won't care. MVP updated for 2013 on the PC will work just fine.

Can you provide details about this?

# 12 inkcil @ 12/03/12 04:41 PM

Prediction: NO new babseball on Xbox 360 from here on out. If you're extremely lucky then a HD remake of an old Higheat or Power Pros or something like that may get released to Xbox live.

We've seen Baseball and Basketball leave EA, Football and Hockey and Baseball leave 2k, College Hoops leave ev'body, UFC get bounced around, Tennis games crumble, only 1 version of Hot Shots golf...and where are the skating and snowboarding games? Heck, the only Sport that got stronger Across the Board (meaning # of publishers, # of successful IPs, etc.) was Soccer.

This was NOT the gaming generation for the sports gamer.

# 13 Sparkles @ 12/03/12 05:02 PM

itll be the same like it has for past couple years. 2k really disturbed the baseball market for 360 owners like myself and i am a big baseball fan. but ever since 2k9 ive lost interest in baseball. so in conclusion this news isnt a big deal at all.

# 14 metal134 @ 12/03/12 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ


	2K could still release a game, right? All they've given up is the exclusive license.

Negative. The way it used to work (and still works with the NBA and NHL) is every developer who wanted to make a game needed to purchase a license. So, for example, you might have 3 companies, each with a license, making a game. Getting an exclusive license just means that nobody else can get one. Now, no third party developer has a license to make MLB games, including 2K.

# 15 tvman @ 12/03/12 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Money99


	I wonder what the purpose was then? Did they buy them out simply to remove a competitor, or did they have plans to do something with that engine? Maybe they did use some of it's code in follow-up baseball games?

Remember back with the old Xbox Microsoft started a 1st party sports division (can't remember what they called it), it only lasted a year or so before it was canned. They made one Microsoft Baseball game for xbox that was terrible, maybe they planned on incorporating HH into that game?

# 16 Knight165 @ 12/03/12 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ


	2K could still release a game, right? All they've given up is the exclusive license. As someone that owns both a 360 and PS3, I'd like to see a baseball game released next year for the 360. 2K10-12 were steps in the right direction.

They could...absolutely.
..and my prediction is...they will.

Quote:

Originally Posted by metal134


	Negative. The way it used to work (and still works with the NBA and NHL) is every developer who wanted to make a game needed to purchase a license. So, for example, you might have 3 companies, each with a license, making a game. Getting an exclusive license just means that nobody else can get one. Now, no third party developer has a license to make MLB games, including 2K.

They can...they just have to pay the regular licensing fee as ANY company can at this point.
The exclusive only kept third party developers from using the license.
(for instance...it didn't lock out Sony as a first party dev....but SCEA still paid the license fee to the MLB and MLBPA)

M.K.
Knight165

# 17 NINJAK2 @ 12/03/12 07:30 PM

Too bad the MLB can't force Show to go Multi-platform and develop for all systems.

# 18 jazzchamp @ 12/03/12 08:05 PM

With No New Baseball Game For the Xbox 360 on the Horizon, Does Anyone Actually Care?

-Meh

# 19 Money99 @ 12/03/12 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvman


	Remember back with the old Xbox Microsoft started a 1st party sports division (can't remember what they called it), it only lasted a year or so before it was canned. They made one Microsoft Baseball game for xbox that was terrible, maybe they planned on incorporating HH into that game?

Ah, you're right!
I remembrer NHL Rivals with Steve Yzerman on the front.
It wasn't a very good game, but it had some positives to it.

Then, shortly after they released that game, I watched some video game show where MS talked about how it was too much money to start up a sports department - especially with how saturated the market was.
Come to think of it, that was around 2004 and it seems that a number of franchises starting disappearing shortly afterward; Rivals, Faceoff, MVP baseball, NFL 2K, etc.
I know some went extinct because of exclusive deals, but it seems that there were at least 3 different options for every sport 5 to 10 years ago.

# 20 statum71 @ 12/03/12 10:02 PM

I would if I were on 360. But I'm not so I don't count.

But I'm more than thrilled to have The Show on PS3.

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With No New Baseball Game For the Xbox 360 on the Horizon, Does Anyone Actually Care?