A series of patches have already rolled out in these very early days of MLB The Show 20. The first ones addressed a number of issues that had been identified and adjusted hitting difficulty. A third post-release patch just arrived and affects pitching and hitting in online play and makes a change to throw meter accuracy. Read more
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦The fall sports games especially NBA 2K21 will quite possibly end up delayed.
♦First roster update for MLB The Show 20 fixes options and adds a top prospect.
♦Details on first post-release patch making some fixes for MLB The Show 20.
♦Details on second post-release patch with gameplay changes for MLB The Show 20.
♦Details on a minor server update that was pushed out for MLB The Show 20.
♦Super Mega Baseball 3 will have new pickoff and steal mechanics.
♦OOTP Baseball 21 through Steam or direct download has officially released.
♦New CBA will mean Franchise year 1 with expanded playoffs in Madden NFL 21.
♦Another update with a number of improvements has gone out for Retro Bowl.
♦UEFA EURO content for PES 2020 will be out April 30 despite it not taking place.
♦With season on pause NBA 2K20 has reset rosters to have no injuries reflected.
♦Details on the latest patch that has gone out with adjustments made for FIFA 20.
♦Details on the latest patch that recently went out for AO Tennis 2.
♦Out early on digital Invisible Man, The Hunt and Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker.
♦Also out this week on Blu-ray is 1917 while Onward gets an early digital release.
2K shocks the world with their announcement that they are back in business with the NFL. What does this all mean? Plus Super Mega Baseball 3 is announced! We also discuss the cornonavirus at a time of great concern for all that is now dramatically disrupting all of sports and gaming.
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Metalhead Software today officially announced Super Mega Baseball 3. The game will feature cross-platform play across Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam with release set for April at a price of $45. Read more
The NFL and 2K Sports have announced their first partnership since 2004 when their last one came to an end with NFL 2K5. Football is coming back to 2K but it won’t be a return of that NFL 2K franchise. Instead they will be “non-simulation games” across multiple platforms with the first title releasing sometime in 2021. EA Sports continues to retain exclusive rights to produce simulation NFL games with Madden.
[Update] 2K has league licensing for non-sim games but do not have a deal at least at this time with the NFLPA. That means the games would have the real teams but not the real players unless they were to go the text-sim management game route.
Quantity and variety in sports gaming has been sorely needed so this could be a great shot-in-the-arm for the genre. The last licensed non-Madden football game was NFL Blitz in 2012 and NFL Street goes all the way back to 2006. 2K in the past really only explored non-sim in baseball. The BIGS and its 2009 sequel were fantastic but unfortunately didn’t sell well enough to continue.
Arcade style games have largely gone extinct in the last 10+ years. Only a few pop up from time to time and those have largely been delivered by independent developers. The market hasn’t really supported those type of games to the extent that a major publisher would be interested. Even a massive global property like the NBA has struggled to reach a decent audience with NBA 2K Playgrounds. The longtime interest for an NFL game from 2K will surely help initially but whether an arcade franchise can be successful in the long-term remains questionable.
The Line Drive is a weekly collection of news, links, deal alerts, and updates that didn’t necessarily warrant their own postings.
♦Retailer leak may have revealed Lamar Jackson as cover athlete of Madden NFL 21.
♦Archived developer live stream on Diamond Dynasty for MLB The Show 20.
♦Break down of the improvements with March to October for MLB The Show 20.
♦Archived developer live stream on March to October for MLB The Show 20.
♦All the ratings changes made with a new roster update available for NBA 2K20.
♦Details on another update with a number of improvements for Retro Bowl.
♦Details on the latest changes made with a new patch out now for FIFA 20.
♦The free content update with CONMEBOL Libertadores has gone live in FIFA 20.
♦FIFA 20 esports competitor was knocked out after a glitch called his goal a miss.
♦Details on the latest patch with a number of updates available now in PES 2020.
♦The roster update following the moves at the trade deadline is out in NHL 20.
♦OOTP Baseball 21 can still be pre-ordered for 10% off and early beta access.
♦Details on the changes and additions for March coming soon to Rocket League.
♦Blu-ray releases this week headlined by Uncut Gems with 1917 out on digital video.
NBA 2K20 will be offered through Xbox Game Pass starting tomorrow. 2K20 joins Pro Evolution Soccer 2020, others in the genre including Rocket League, and over 100 more games currently offered through the subscription service which goes for $10 a month.
This is the earliest that an NBA 2K game has been added to a subscription service. In 2017 it was NBA 2K16 being offered free through PlayStation Plus but that wasn’t until June. That 2K20 is being provided in advance of the playoffs when it will be especially relevant is significant.
Similar to the strategy behind EA Sports games going into EA Access, providing the game for free allows for new players to get on board and spend money within along with possibly building loyalty that will lead to future purchases.
This week of promotion for MLB The Show 20 centered on the new (Online) Custom Leagues mode. While it appears to be intended as a substitute for Online Franchise it isn’t remotely a feature-for-feature replacement and there are still unanswered questions – even after multiple teases a blog and a full stream – that will heavily impact how widely adapted and ultimately how successful it may become. Its simplicity could prove to be a draw for some but the lack of depth and possible exclusion of CPU teams could limit the potential for those seeking something more beyond just a brief competitive run against friends. Read more