EA Sports "has a deal with Major League Baseball in place" to create a new gaming franchise, which may be launched "sooner than anyone expected," according to sources cited by Jon Robinson of ESPN.com. The sources indicated that EA is "developing a new digital baseball game, complete with the MLB license, for Facebook." Not "much is known about the project at this time, but by looking at the other EA Sports Facebook games, one can assume it will be something along the lines of fantasy team building." MLB's exclusive video game license with 2K Sports ends in '12. The deal was signed in '05, ending "one of the most beloved sports gaming franchises of all time," EA Sports' "MVP Baseball." Robinson added with EA Sports and MLB "already working side-by-side on this new project, it gives me great hope that we'll see an eventual return of 'MVP Baseball' once 2K's exclusive deal runs out next year" (ESPN.com, 3/22).
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2K Sports' exclusive video game
contract with MLB expires in '12 |
IT'S "SHOW" TIME: In Boston, Garrett Martin reviewed 2K Sports' newest baseball game under the header, "'MLB 11: The Show' Knocks It Out Of The Park." Last year's iteration of the video game franchise "was the best baseball game of 2010, but it largely coasted on the excellent strides made by 'MLB 09' and thus felt somewhat unnecessary." This year's game "is a step forward, though, thanks in part to the new Pure Analog controls." It is a "simple control scheme that can be tough to understand," and it "also makes this already difficult series even harder." But Martin added, "The combination of new, immersive control schemes and 'The Show's' traditional in-depth simulation makes 'MLB 11' the first must-own baseball game since 'MLB 09'" (BOSTON HERALD, 3/14).
