MLB The Show is rolling out a new addition to its popular, "Road to the Show" game mode.
Players of "MLB The Show 24" will now have the option to create a female player and take her to the majors. The new feature is called "Road to the Show: Women Pave Their Way." It is the first time the popular game series will feature players of both genders.
Everyone has Major League dreams. Now it's your time to unlock them.
— MLB (@MLB) March 5, 2024
Announcing Road to The Show: Women Pave Their Way, a new way to play @MLBTheShow's Road to The Show mode as a female player! pic.twitter.com/BtpcQFPCpX
The game mode was inspired by women in baseball, including Toni Stone, a woman who became the first to play in a male professional baseball league when she played in the Negro Leagues in 1953, narrative designer Mollie Braley said in a release.
"Our team wanted to create something where dreams become a reality, and we felt like adding this to Road to the Show was the perfect opportunity that gave our players the option to experience this," Braley said in the release.
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'Women Pave Their Way' game mode
The new mode will have its differences from the standard, "Road to the Show" game mode, which sees players create a male character into the draft and have him reach the majors.
"Women Pave Their Way" will have a female character going on a narrative that has her interact with characters and go through certain scenarios about the path to making history, Braley explained. She said the mode was taken from inspiration from players like Kelsie Whitmore, the first woman to appear in the starting lineup in an Atlantic League game. There will be a "buddy" character, Mia Lewis, who will be representative of other female professional baseball players like Whitmore.
Braley added:
This is a feature that goes beyond simply allowing players to create a female ballplayer in the game. It’s also meant to highlight the strength, tenacity, and resilience that it takes to break into the sport; but not shy away from the struggles that many have faced. Through this feature, we can help shine light on the amazing community, support, and talent that have also been part of the journey. This story of adversity and triumph, one that we started telling with Negro Leagues Storylines, is one that so many people can relate to, and reflecting this in a video game is something I care very deeply about and am proud to work on.
Not all playthroughs will be the same, Braley explained. There are different cutscenes, interactions with Lewis, and career path changes that will come based on each playthrough.
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Whitmore praised the new game mode, saying there was a lot of "deep thought, meaningful conversations, and the best intentions going into this."
"I am proud of MLB the Show for taking a chance of applying real-life change into the game," Whitmore said. "To me, this project is a great opportunity for the world to be informed of women who play baseball and that taking their skills to the next level is possible. My hopes for this project is to educate others that women/girls do play baseball and that they are capable of competing in this game at every level."
When does MLB The Show 24 come out?
Fans anticipating the latest edition of the video game will have to wait just a little longer. The game is currently slated to be released on March 19.
That is a day before the start of the Seoul Series in South Korea between the Dodgers and Padres. That is also nine days before Opening Day, when all the other 28 teams begin their 2024 seasons.
The game will be released on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.