Sony Comments On Deal To Bring MLB The Show 21 To Xbox And Game Pass

A spokesperson for PlayStation has clarified part of the reason why the company is bringing its MLB The Show 21 to Xbox and Game Pass. This representative told Inverse that it was all about expanding the appeal and reach of the MLB The Show series. It was MLB's decision to do this, the spokesperson said.

"As part of the goal for this year's game, MLB decided to bring the franchise to more players and baseball fans," a PlayStation representative told the site. "This decision provides a unique opportunity to further establish MLB The Show as the premier brand for baseball video games."

According to Inverse, the decision to bring MLB The Show 21 to Xbox and Game Pass specifically "came straight from MLB."

Asked about the deal to bring MLB The Show 21 to Game Pass, a spokesperson for Microsoft said, "We curate the library with the diversity of our 18 million members in mind." Major League Baseball, however, did not respond to Inverse's request for comment.

MLB The Show 21 is the first PlayStation-published game to come to Xbox. Thanks to Game Pass, subscribers on Xbox and the cloud can play MLB The Show 21 as part of their monthly subscription, while people on Sony's own PlayStation hardware must pay $70 for it.

Xbox Game Pass had 18 million subscribers by Microsoft's latest count, and launching MLB The Show on Xbox opens up the game to a much larger audience than PlayStation alone.

MLB The Show 21 launches on April 20 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. The more expensive collector's editions unlock four days early, starting April 16.

For more on the game, check out GameSpot's MLB The Show 21 preorder guide.