Highlights
- MLB The Show 24 is likely to improve on the new features introduced in MLB The Show 23, including card sets and seasons in Diamond Dynasty.
- The game will presumably continue to add legendary players to its roster, possibly including icons from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
- San Diego Studio may focus on refining the gameplay mechanics of MLB The Show 24 to make it as realistic as possible, without making large scale changes to what already works well.
The MLB postseason is in full swing, as some of the best teams this year duke it out to determine who will play in the World Series. As the action in the real-life MLB reaches one of its greatest heights, the action in the world of MLB The Show is starting to gradually wind down. The yearly baseball sim bases much of its content on the MLB season, and with half of the postseason wrapped up, many fans are sure to start looking toward the next MLB The Show installment. It's a cycle that longtime players know well, and as far as yearly sports titles go, it's one that's usually more anticipated than dreaded.
MLB The Show 23 was a sizable step forward for the series. After taking a couple of years to settle into today's new hardware landscape, developer San Diego Studio introduced both granular and sweeping changes in an attempt to further The Show's legacy as the premier baseball game on the market. Some of these adjustments were welcomed, others not so much, but they all laid the groundwork for how MLB The Show 24 might look when it presumably launches next year. Using The Show 23 as a template, there are a few likely features eager fans can look forward to as this year's installment makes way for the next.
Revisions To Diamond Dynasty Content
One of the biggest new features in MLB The Show 23 was card sets and seasons in Diamond Dynasty. This limited what cards could be used in the game mode that mirrors Madden Ultimate Team, with SDS claiming that it'll help more players build competitive teams faster. Some players have decried how this change resulted in recycled content and the best cards hidden behind expensive packs, so it's fair to say there have been some growing pains. SDS could possibly revise its new format in MLB The Show 24, finding a happy medium between how Diamond Dynasty used to work and The Show 23's new direction.
More Legendary Baseball Players
The MLB has been filled with countless iconic names over the years, and MLB The Show pays tribute to their accomplishments and status by making many legendary players playable. Big names from Hank Aaron to Babe Ruth have been featured over the years, and MLB The Show 23 introduced the likes of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. MLB The Show 24 will more than likely continue the tradition of adding new legends, though who exactly they will be remains to be seen. If recent trends are any indication, some of them may be icons from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
MLB Gameplay Fine-Tuning
SDS has brought more and more meticulous detail into MLB The Show with each year, and MLB The Show 23 is no exception. Though there are areas some players may quibble about, hitting is dynamic, pitching feels tight, and fielding is the closest many fans will get to running around on a professional baseball field. MLB The Show 24 probably won't reinvent the wheel, but odds are SDS will continue to refine MLB The Show's gameplay mechanics, so the next entry can resemble a real MLB game as much as possible. What the franchise has now isn't broke, so there's no sense in applying any unnecessary fixes.
MLB The Show has been the premier franchise for baseball action for well over a decade. Among annual sports titles like Madden NFL, The Show has stood apart as a series that genuinely improves in some way or another with each new entry, instead of being a copy and paste version of last year's version. There's no telling what SDS has in store for MLB The Show 24 right now, but odds are it will continue to build on its already strong foundation in a meaningful way.