Baseball fans are eagerly awaiting the return of the sport, as the 2021 season gets underway with Spring training in just a few weeks. Fans excited for virtual baseball, in the form of MLB The Show 21, will have to wait a little longer, as the next game from San Diego Studio is due in April. In the meantime, MLB The Show 21 is giving players a look at what the game will be all about, starting with gameplay styles.
MLB The Show is entering new territory, as the franchise had previously been a PlayStation exclusive. During the reveal trailer for the game, which featured cover athlete Fernando Tatis Jr., it was announced that MLB The Show 21 will also be released on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
Now that the franchise is going multiplatform, it will have to do some work to bring in new players, which is why MLB The Show 21 is dropping little informative trailers like this one covering gameplay styles. The game will be split into three styles, giving players the option to dive deep or play casually. This year's version of MLB The Show will feature Competitive Play, the default mode for online play; Simulation for an "authentic MLB experience;" and Casual for an easier pick-up-and-play experience. The three styles shown don't offer a glimpse into any specific game modes, so fans with an MLB The Show features wish list will have to wait to see what else the game will include.
The split between Casual and Simulation is a nice way to give players who aren't all about baseball analytics the option to jump in and, as the trailer says, "score runs and hit dingers." Not everyone is able to commit the time to master everything a game has to offer, so a casual mode makes a lot of sense. Fans should know that regardless of which play style they prefer, this year's version of MLB The Show will not allow players to carry over their save data, likely a result of going multiplatform and wanting an equal playing field for new Xbox users.
This year's version of MLB The Show will also feature a Collector's Edition honoring the great Jackie Robinson, famous for breaking the color barrier in the sport when he played for the Brooklyn (now Los Angeles) Dodgers in the 1940s and 50s. With a couple of months to go until release, more details on the game will be coming, but for now fans have the scoop on gameplay styles.
MLB The Show 21 will release April 20 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.