Decision to Bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox Game Pass Came Straight From Major League Baseball

[Steve_OS]

According to a recent article from Inverse, it was the decision of Major League Baseball to...

Written By: Steve Noah

Click here to view the article.

[chris68pj]

I seem to be missing the part where they confirm what you are claiming they are saying.  Where does it say MLB ordered it on Game Pass?

[kehlis]

Re: Decision to Bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox Game Pass Came Straight From Major Leag

I seem to be missing the part where they confirm what you are claiming they are saying.* Where does it say MLB ordered it on Game Pass?

From the story:

A spokesperson for PlayStation has clarified part of the reason why the company is bringing its MLB The Show 21 to Xbox and Game Pass. This representative told Inverse that it was all about expanding the appeal and reach of the MLB The Show series. It was MLB's decision to do this, the spokesperson said.

[tessl]

Re: Decision to Bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox Game Pass Came Straight From Major Leag

I seem to be missing the part where they confirm what you are claiming they are saying.* Where does it say MLB ordered it on Game Pass?

Sony Interactive Entertainment agreed to support more platforms when it renewed its license agreement with MLB in late 2019. MLB appears to have gone further to get the game in the hands of as many players as possible.

My guess is Microsoft applied pre$$ure to MLB and Sony had no choice if they wanted the license renewed.

I don't see how putting the game on game pass helps the developers make money. Seems like it would reduce the number of people paying full price.

[mestevo]

Re: Decision to Bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox Game Pass Came Straight From Major Leag

Sony Interactive Entertainment agreed to support more platforms when it renewed its license agreement with MLB in late 2019. MLB appears to have gone further to get the game in the hands of as many players as possible.

My guess is Microsoft applied pre$$ure to MLB and Sony had no choice if they wanted the license renewed.

I don't see how putting the game on game pass helps the developers make money. Seems like it would reduce the number of people paying full price.

It's the economics of post-purchase microtransactions. For some titles the after-purchase revenue is exponentially more important over the life of a game and that initial box price.

The extreme example of this is Grand Theft Auto 5.

[Keirik]

Re: Decision to Bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox Game Pass Came Straight From Major Leag

It's the economics of post-purchase microtransactions. For some titles the after-purchase revenue is exponentially more important over the life of a game and that initial box price.

The extreme example of this is Grand Theft Auto 5.

Or FIFA.....

[DanH35]

Re: Decision to Bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox Game Pass Came Straight From Major Leag

Sony Interactive Entertainment agreed to support more platforms when it renewed its license agreement with MLB in late 2019. MLB appears to have gone further to get the game in the hands of as many players as possible.

My guess is Microsoft applied pre$$ure to MLB and Sony had no choice if they wanted the license renewed.

I don't see how putting the game on game pass helps the developers make money. Seems like it would reduce the number of people paying full price.

While the financial agreements have never been publicly shared, I've seen it speculated that devs get something for every download of a Gamepass game. Plus, it's been reported that having a game on Gamepass leads to more actual purchases.

[OUSOONERS#1]

Re: Decision to Bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox Game Pass Came Straight From Major Leag

While I agree MLB I think made Sony bring the game to Xbox i don’t think MLB had anything to do with putting it on game pass ... I think Microsoft paid Sony for those rights and tbh it’s a slap in the face to us PlayStation owners who have been around from the beginning and we have to pay full price !!!!

[SmashMan]

Re: Decision to Bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox Game Pass Came Straight From Major Leag

While I agree MLB I think made Sony bring the game to Xbox i don’t think MLB had anything to do with putting it on game pass ... I think Microsoft paid Sony for those rights and tbh it’s a slap in the face to us PlayStation owners who have been around from the beginning and we have to pay full price !!!!

I'm a PlayStation owner and my face is fine.

[tril]

Re: Decision to Bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox Game Pass Came Straight From Major Leag

makes sense.

The appeal for MLB baseball is declining. This is a good way to generate more interest in the sport and its players.

[Iron]

Re: Decision to Bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox Game Pass Came Straight From Major Leag

I'm a PlayStation owner and my face is fine.

I guess I dodged the slap as well!

[dalger21]

Re: Decision to Bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox Game Pass Came Straight From Major Leag

Honestly, with how lucrative DD and the microtransaction part of that has been, it was only a matter of time before The Show was expanded to more platforms. There's just too much money left on the table by not including Xbox. It wouldn't surprise me of PC and Nintendo are added to the mix when SDS adds more talent.

[Yankees_CT]

Doesn’t bother me at all that Xbox gets it on Game Pass. More exposure to the game the better in my eyes. 

[LastActionHero]

Re: Decision to Bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox Game Pass Came Straight From Major Leag

Just think of all the noobs that enter The Show universe and all the online rage quits when starting their DD adventure haha.

[Lunch Pail Gang]

Re: Decision to Bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox Game Pass Came Straight From Major Leag

Maybe I'm missing something here, but by putting the game on Game Pass, the developer only stands to make money. It's a digital release that literally costs nothing to distribute. Whether one person clicks the download button or a million download it, it costs the same exact amount of money to the developer. It's not like they're having to stamp cd's and shove them into plastic cases for each and every game that is retrieved through Game Pass.
So, by offering a taste to players that may or may not have bought the game to begin with, SDS can only stand to increase its revenues in the future, either by some of the Game Pass customers availing themselves to micro-transactions and/or some of the customers becoming hooked into buying future iterations.
With all of that said, I do not think this would be a very profitable way to market the game every year because customers would simply wait it for to become available on Game Pass annually, but staring out on a new console, I really don't see a downside to it.