PlayStation Doesn't Want Any Of The Blame For This
Microsoft recently announced that MLB The Show 21 will appear on both Xbox and PlayStation when it releases later this year. MLB The Show 21 also made headlines because of a mysterious Madden curse brewing around the game's cover star, but Sony also raised eyebrows in the gaming industry by choosing to develop its latest baseball game for the Xbox as well as the PlayStation. This is an unprecedented move, marking the first time that Sony decided to release its first-party IP to other platforms.
Now, Sony wants to make it clear to longtime PlayStation fans that it didn't decide to make MLB The Show 21 a cross-platform game. Any blame (or thanks) for the recent changes to MLB The Show's release strategy should be directed at the MLB itself.
A Sony representative spoke directly to Inverse about the situation, saying, "As part of the goal for this year's game, MLB decided to bring the franchise to more players and baseball fans." In other words, Sony didn't make the decision at all, and would rather fans not blame it for any controversy surrounding the MLB The Show 21.
At the end of the day, the MLB just wants to get its game into more players' hands. Gaming industry research analyst George Jijiashvili told Inverse, "This is all about MLB finding a bigger audience, which took precedence over console manufacturer jousting." It's true that the MLB will find a bigger audience on Xbox's Game Pass system, which provides 100s of games to players for a small monthly fee. That being said, some fans feel cheated.
MLB The Show 21 will be released on Game Pass the day it launches. While this statement in itself seems innocent, this means that while PlayStation owners will pay full price for the new baseball game, Xbox Game Pass subscribers will get it, essentially, for free (with the cost of a Game Pass subscription). Some fans took an issue with this price discrepancy, and took to the internet to voice their frustration.
In the comments for a video summarizing the historic collaboration between Microsoft and Sony, one fan remarked that Sony devotees are used to paying full price for games. Another commenter mentioned that division in the gaming community was what drove them away from buying games in the first place.
As the hype for MLB The Show 2021 continues to ramp up, gamers have the difficult task of picking what console to play it on. Whatever fans decide, just don't blame Sony for the kerfuffle.