MLB The Show 21, a Sony game, will be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch

By Giovanni Colantonio April 2, 2021

MLB The Show 21 will be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch. The news is a surprising development for Microsoft’s subscription platform considering that the game is published by Sony.

Last month, Sony announced that it would release the series on Xbox consoles for the first time ever. The Xbox Game Pass addition now takes that deal even further, showing that Sony is doubling down on the cross-platform launch.

MLB The Show 21 launches on April 20 and will be on Game Pass day one. It will be available on the console version of the service, but not PC. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can play the game using Microsoft’s cloud gaming service as well.

It’s a significant move that’s sure to leave fans with many questions. A Sony published game coming to Game Pass is unprecedented and could indicate that Sony is ready to play ball with other platforms. In the past, the company was notoriously reluctant when it came to cross-play between other platforms, opening it up to developers late in the PS4’s lifespan. The news shows how far the company has come from that point.

The decision may have less to do with Sony and more to do with the MLB. In Microsoft’s announcement post, the company doesn’t namecheck Sony at all when talking about the deal.

“As we said from the beginning, this is an incredible moment for all of us and bringing the franchise to more players and baseball fans is something that we at MLB, MLB Players, Inc., and Xbox are all excited about,” says Microsoft.

MLB The Show 21 is out PlayStation and Xbox on April 20 and will feature cross-play and cross-progression between platforms.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Giovanni Colantonio

Section Editor, Gaming

Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…

Gaming

Every key detail from Xbox’s business update: new console, multiplatform games, and more

Microsoft just released the latest episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, and it contained lots of crucial details on the future of Xbox. Microsoft addressed everything from how many games it will make multiplatform to the arrival of Activision Blizzard games on Xbox Game Pass to future Xbox hardware.

If you don't want to listen to the full 23-minute podcast and want more details than what's shared in the Xbox Wire post about the discussion, here's a quick rundown of the biggest points made during the episode.
Four Xbox games are going multiplatform
To kick things off, Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, addressed the multiplatform Xbox game rumors. "We made the decision that we’re going to take four games to the other consoles. Just four games, not a change to our kind of fundamental exclusive strategy,” he said. “We’re making these decisions for some specific reasons. We make every decision with the long-term health of Xbox in mind, and long-term health of Xbox means a growing platform, our games performing, building the best platform for creators, reaching as many players as we can."

Gaming

Madden 24 is coming to Xbox Game Pass just in time for the Super Bowl

Players make a tackle in gameplay action of Madden NFL 24.

Xbox revealed a new batch of library additions coming to its Game Pass service. The list includes some heavy hitters in Resident Evil 3 and Madden 24, as well as some indie hidden gems.

Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft's subscription service that gives players access to select games for a monthly fee, will add eight new games in the first half of February. The rollout will start today with Anuchard and continue until February 20 with the sci-fi title Return to Grace.

Gaming

Xbox games on PS5? It’s not as shocking as you think

Key art for Starfield

It's been a busy few weeks for console war soldiers.

Tensions spiked last month when "Nate the Hate," an industry insider with a decent track record, claimed that Hi-Fi Rush was headed to Nintendo Switch. The rumor sparked some mixed feelings among Xbox fans, some of whom expressed dismay over one of the console's system-selling exclusives coming to another platform. Other reports at the time claimed that Rare's Sea of Thieves could also be bound for PlayStation and Switch. That rising anger came to a head this weekend when XboxEra reported that Xbox is planning to launch its biggest exclusive, Starfield, on PS5.