MLBAM this afternoon announced it will release “RBI Baseball 14,” its revival of the beloved baseball video game from the late '80s and early '90s, on Wednesday for the Microsoft XBox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, and Apple iOS mobile platforms. Versions for Android and next-generation console platforms will arrive later this spring. The game will be a downloadable title, with the smartphone and tablet versions slated to cost $4.99 and the console versions $19.99. "RBI Baseball 14" is the first game built in-house by MLBAM for console platforms, and stays faithful to the spirit of the original arcade-style classic while updating with modern graphics and individual player tendencies and specific ballpark dimensions.
The initial announcement of the game’s revival in January prompted a large outpouring of support by fans on social media, and the game’s release this week is likely to generate a second such wave. “This is another reminder to never underestimate the power of the fans,” said MLBAM President & CEO Bob Bowman. “The outpouring around this project has been unbelievable.”
Bowman acknowledged the move to go beyond its prior mobile-based gaming efforts and build a title for full-featured gaming consoles was driven in part by the demise of 2K Sports’ “MLB 2K” series and a desire by MLBAM to not have baseball be absent on XBox platforms. But even if “MLB 2K” still existed, Bowman said MLBAM likely still would have pursued a revival of “RBI Baseball” for smartphones and tablets.
