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Xbox Trusted Sony with Its Pre-Release Xbox Series X Hardware

Microsoft gave Sony a pre-release version of the hardware
by Luke Luby on June 17, 2021   

MLB the Show has been a popular gaming franchise for quite some time. It's never, however, been available on an Xbox console. That's until MLB the Show 21, which is available for Xbox Series X/S. It's the result of an intriguing partnership between Microsoft and Sony, which may run deeper than some gamers may have realized.

As Xbox head of game creator experience and ecosystem Sarah Bond notes, the game involved a lot more trust between the two companies than some gamers are aware of. In her words, there was a "real sign of industry trust" when Microsoft gave Sony a pre-release version of the Xbox Series X for the game's development team to work on.

Like many other titles in the franchise, MLB the Show 21 was developed by an internal team at Sony. The game was subsequently announced for the Xbox Game Pass, where it's free for all subscribers. While this was a bold move, it made the game the biggest sports game of the past year. It also currently sits as Xbox's second biggest sports title of all time. By all indications, Xbox players were clamoring to get their hands on a game in the franchise.

The decision to do so wasn't Microsoft's or Sony's, however. Instead, MLB is behind the game's change to a cross-over title. Given that there hadn't been any prior associations between the companies, there was naturally some logisitics to figure out. As Sarah Bond's comments highlight, both companies put a lot of trust into the game's development.

When MLB the Show 21 was announced for Xbox consoles, a PlayStation representative said:

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

MLB the Show 21 is available on both PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

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