At one point in time it was unimaginable to think that Sony’s critically acclaimed series, which has often been a system seller to baseball fans, could become a multi-platform release. However, by April 5, two entries in the franchise will have launched on Xbox. MLB The Show 22, and its Shohei Ohtani-themed cover, demonstrate that once imposing barriers between PlayStation and Xbox are slowly being pulled down. As the gaming industry starts to shift in the wake of wide-spread acquisitions, the process that players are witnessing could lead to exciting results.

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Cross-Platform Development

When Sony renegotiated its agreement with the MLB back in 2019, one of the stipulations for the publisher to keep its baseball rights was that the series had to move away from being a PlayStation console exclusive. While the details of the agreement have never been made public, two years after Sony agreed, MLB The Show 21 launched day-and-date on Xbox. For several reasons, such as how Microsoft had been without a baseball game in years, the arrival of the franchise on Xbox’s shores was heralded as a monumental event.

By far the biggest reason why the move is significant is the fact that MLB The Show is the first series that Sony has released on a competitor’s platform since the PS1-era. At a time when Sony’s other teams are expanding to work on multiple projects, the studio has effectively been converted into a multi-platform developer. Instead of having to create content exclusively for PlayStation platforms, the studio now has development kits for both Microsoft and Nintendo systems. The former is especially significant considering the trust Microsoft had to have in Sony, to give its competitor pre-release versions of the Xbox Series consoles.

The sight of the PlayStation Studios logo appearing as an Xbox owner boots up a game is now a reality thanks to MLB The Show. There are signs that this isn’t just a one-off occurrence either. Despite locking down Activision and Bethesda, both of Microsoft’s purchases have confirmed that some of their games will continue to appear on PlayStation platforms. Beyond the likes of Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls Online, there’s a tentative understanding that even some future Call of Duty games will be available to Sony’s fans. In many ways, MLB The Show has laid the groundwork for the relationship between the two to reach unprecedented levels of cooperation.

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Sony’s Expansion Plans

When it was announced that The Show would be going multi-platform, many assumed that Sony had been dictated to by MLB. Due to developments this week though, it’s possible the barriers MLB The Show has removed were actually the first step in a bigger plan. Following Sony’s $3.6 billion acquisition of Bungie, it’s been reiterated by all parties involved that the iconic studio will continue to create games on a multi-platform basis. Having fought to maintain its independence in the past, the idea that Bungie could operate with a level of autonomy was seemingly a big factor in the deal.

Xbox Game Pass Cooperation

Thanks to the success that Microsoft has had with its Xbox Game Pass service, it’s starting to look like a big chunk of the gaming landscape will one day be dominated by Netflix-inspired subscription models. In the wake of EA and Ubisoft having launched independent platforms in recent years as well, all signs point to Sony being the next publisher to unveil its own spin on the concept. While the idea of Project Spartacus is something that the publisher has no doubt been exploring, the success that the MLB The Show has already experienced on Game Pass has likely accelerated these plans, to an extent.

It might be easy to overlook thanks to the significance of a PlayStation Studio title launching on a competitor’s platform, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that one of the barriers that’s been removed by The Show is monetary-based. Because of San Diego Studio’s multi-platform efforts, Sony is likely pulling in a decent sum of money from the franchise’s presence on Xbox and Game Pass. Even if the deal that brought MLB The Show to the subscription service was set up initially by one of the sport’s organizing bodies, there are obvious benefits to Sony from a publicity perspective as well.

Not only has the process of putting MLB The Show on Microsoft’s service pushed Sony towards the creation of its own equivalent, there’s also a possibility that the removal of barriers might open the door for Game Pass to potentially appear on PlayStation too. Executives from Microsoft have frequently spoken about its desire to get the subscription service onto as many platforms as possible, so the idea isn’t as far-fetched. With Microsoft now having an extensive list of Activision IPs that were once popular on PlayStation at its disposal, there’s reason to believe Sony might be open to other barriers being removed to allow its subscription-based return.

Multiplayer Gaming

Theoretical ideas about Game Pass are one thing, but there’s other physical barriers being removed between Xbox and PlayStation, too. Both MLB The Show 21 and 22 prominently feature cross-platform multiplayer, and cross-platform progression. Considering how Sony has frequently made itself an obstacle to third party titles offering these options in the past, it’s remarkable that a first-party franchise has been able to remove those barriers completely.

With Microsoft and Sony having made a big deal about their cooperation on projects like the cloud-based Azure platform, which should have even bigger impacts on multiplayer gaming, all signs point to MLB The Show being one of the origin points of a new type of relationship.

MLB The Show 22 releases on April 5, 2022, for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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