Baseball video game series MLB The Show has released a game every year since 2006, and 2022 will be no exception. A joint announcement by PlayStation and Xbox confirmed that MLB The Show 22 will be releasing on April 5. In addition to the previous lineup of PlayStation and Xbox titles, The Show 22 will also be the first title in the series to be released for the Nintendo Switch. A Collector's Edition is also forthcoming, with its release date and additional content yet to be announced.Originating as simply MLB in 1998, the franchise was renamed MLB The Show in 2006 when the 989 Sports branch that produced it was merged back into the greater Sony Entertainment umbrella. Each game allows the player to control various Major League Baseball teams, with most games featuring a total of 30 teams. Various modes allow players to try individual match-ups or guide their chosen team through an entire season. In addition to the players whose likenesses appear in the game, real life sports commentators and newscasters also lend their voices to each title. The previous title in the series, MLB The Show 21, received praise and was considered a breath of fresh air in the sports game genre.Each year's edition of MLB The Show honors one outstanding baseball player by choosing him to appear on the game's cover. This year's choice, revealed via Twitter and a PlayStation Blog post, is Shohei Ohtani, who has served as a pitcher, designated hitter, and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels since 2018. Ohtani, who previously played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, is the first Japanese player to be chosen as the cover athlete for an MLB game. He was chosen for the honor after an impressive 2021 season, during which he hit 46 home runs, maintained a 9-2 record on the mound, and was named the American League's Most Valuable Player. His inclusion is also a major win for the Angels, who were noted to have weak pitchers in previous MLB games.
The PlayStation Blog announcement also confirmed that MLB The Show 22 will include cross-platform play as well as the ability to easily transfer saves between different consoles, carrying over collected player cards and other rewards. Players are also able to create and link accounts prior to the game's launch using the official MLB The Show website. Xbox's social media announcement also included the reveal that the game will be added to Xbox Game Pass upon its launch, allowing subscribers to access it for free. However, no information was shared regarding the rumored PC debut of the MLB The Show series.
The Standard Edition of MLB The Show 22 will cost $59.99 on last-generation consoles and $69.99 on current-generation consoles. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game will include the Stadium Creator feature, which was introduced in MLB The Show 21. While the price of the Collector's Edition has not yet been revealed, the PlayStation Blog post confirmed that more information about the game will be announced via upcoming features on YouTube and Twitch.
MLB The Show 22 will release on April 5 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Xbox/Twitter