Inside Pitch Q&A

Inside Pitch is Microsoft's upcoming entry into the baseball genre. The soon-to-be-announced game is being developed by Microsoft Game Studios and aims to flesh out the developer's first-party sports offerings. The game is slated to offer a full array of the expected game modes, such as single game, season, and playoff, as well as training tracks, championship challenges, and home run derby. In addition the game will feature full Xbox Live support, making it the only console baseball game to offer true online play. The game is currently slated to ship this May for the Xbox. We had the chance to talk to Richard Reagan, program manager for Inside Pitch 2003, to find out more about the game.

GameSpot: How long has the game been in development?

Richard Reagan: While it started as a third-party title, Inside Pitch 2003 became a first-party title when many members of the original development team joined Microsoft's Salt Lake Games Group in January of last year.

GS: How big is the team working on it?

RR: Currently, the team has more than 35 individuals contributing in one form or another with the direct goal of making Inside Pitch 2003 the baseball title for Xbox owners.

GS: What games have the team members worked on before?

RR: We've previously worked on titles such as Amped, Links, NHL Breakaway Hockey ('98 and '97), Tecmo Super Baseball, Monsters Inc., Circus Maximus, WCW Mayhem, WCW Backstage Assault, WWF War Zone, and Space Jam, among others.

GS: What is your approach to this game (arcade or sim) and why?

RR: Our ultimate goal resides some place in between the two categories since our approach is to provide a game foundation derived from baseball, authentic in look and feel, but to never lose sight that fun is the most important factor in the game. In the battle of realism vs. fun, fun always wins.

GS: What do you want the game to bring to the genre? RR: We want to provide baseball fans with the best graphics quality ever seen in a baseball video game along with great online functions through Xbox Live. The championship challenge mode allows gamers to re-create many great events of the 2002 season. Training modes for created players test these new players with a variety of drills. Inside Pitch will have a unique style that we feel will make it the product of choice for Xbox owners.

GS: What kind of modes will it offer?

RR: The modes include online play through Xbox Live, the championship challenge, created player training tracks, exhibition games, seasonal play (with support for multiple users and the ability to draft teams), playoffs, home run derby, among other things. For example, one of the situations available through the championship challenge mode that puts gamers in the shoes of baseball players from the 2002 season is trying to break the infamous tie in the 2002 All-Star game.

GS: What kind of performance can we expect from the graphics engine?

RR: It is our goal to set the standards for all baseball games, as we believe that our game will be the most visually stunning due to our dedication to harnessing the power of Xbox instead of undermining performance by constructing the title for multiple platforms. We think that people are going to adore our stadiums, as they look incredible. Nomar Garciaparra was raving about our stadium authenticity when we showed him a build of the game, so if it's authentic enough for Nomar, we're certain that baseball fans will be just as pleased.

GS: What kind of tech features are going to be included?

RR: Our audio will be Dolby 5.1, and we will also provide play and content download on Xbox Live. In addition, players can use their ripped audio as integrated stadium music so that they choose what music plays during games. Players will be able to select where a track begins so that their music is cued up automatically within the game. We truly believe that Xbox owners will need to look no further than Inside Pitch 2003 for their baseball fix.

GS: Thanks for your time.