Reportedly, America's favorite pastime dates back to the mid-1990s, in which the publisher released its inaugural baseball sim - Triple Play 96. The series lasted until 2003, ending once a successor - MVP Baseball 2003 - took over.
MVP Baseball 2003 hit the scene as a simulated Major League Baseball experience, managing to innovate gameplay features such as the pitch meter. EA didn't have much time to further iterate, though. Following the releases of MVP Baseball 2004 and MVP Baseball 2005, publisher Take-Two Interactive signed an exclusive licensing deal with the MLB, reportedly an answer to the agreement EA struck with the NFL. Thus, MVP Baseball 2005 marked EA's last pro league baseball sim. The MVP series quickly adapted by evolving into MVP: NCAA Baseball, yet the collegiate sim only received two outings before EA Sports stepped away from the sport long-term. Sony's MLB The Show has dominated the space for nigh on a decade, but new reports suggest competition may heat up in the years ahead.
According to a Sports Gamers Online report (via Dexerto), EA Sports currently has a team within EA Vancouver (FIFA, NHL, UFC) working on a "new next-gen baseball video game." The supposed project apparently bears no relation to the publisher's recent acquisition of Metalhead Software and its Super Mega Baseball property. A source reportedly familiar with EA's operations told SGO the baseball title is "a ways out," while another hinted at 2024 as the earliest possible release window. The publication additionally learned "a lot of things are still in the planning stages. There’s a lot to be decided before things really move forward.”
SGO's sources assume the MLB license will play a role in EA Sports' return to the game, though nothing concrete corroborates as much. In truth, these claims in their entirety remain unsubstantiated, but, as SGO notes, the Twitter bio for EA Sports Executive Producer and GM, Sean Ramjagsingh, points to NHL, UFC, and baseball as his areas of expertise within the company.
EA's alleged interest in revisiting the world of baseball sims could prove a boon for fans of the sport. Until this year, MLB The Show, the premiere baseball game, was locked to PlayStation hardware. If and when it will migrate to PC and Nintendo platforms remains unknown; in the event The Show doesn't budge again anytime soon, EA Sports' future endeavors could help feed a hungry market.
Source: Sports Gamers Online via Dexerto
