“This challenge wouldn’t be attainable with out our groundbreaking partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and their president, Bob Kendrick,” explains Russell. “It was paramount for us to offer context to those wonderful gamers and the historical past behind the Negro Leagues. Bob does this higher than anybody. Our job was to make these tales participating for a online game and let Bob do the educating.”
For this upcoming MLB The Present 24 season, there shall be 10 new Negro League Legends added, every with their very own distinctive Storyline to expertise. Legends like Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Hank Aaron, and Toni Stone have been confirmed to be playable at early entry launch on March 15, 2024, for Xbox One and Xbox Sequence X|S.
The subsequent set of three Negro Leagues gamers will arrive as a free downloadable content material drop in April, after which once more in Might. As well as, all of the gamers from Season 1 of Storylines shall be included in MLB The Present 24 at launch — so should you missed out on this characteristic from final 12 months’s sport, you’ll have so much to expertise on day one.
“The creation and improvement of Storylines was a really natural course of. It wasn’t excellent, and we weren’t capable of embrace all the pieces we wished to in 12 months one,” shares Russell. “Nevertheless, we began this challenge with three targets in thoughts: to coach, enlighten, and encourage by celebrating the wealthy historical past of the Negro Leagues. We achieved these targets and helped carry some much-needed consideration to such an necessary half and sometimes neglected chapter in American historical past.”
A giant a part of the explanation why there’s a lot historical past for Russell and the MLB The Present group to tug from is largely due to the efforts of Black newspapers and Black press who labored tirelessly to doc Negro Leagues historical past (you possibly can study extra about them right here on the official Nationwide Baseball Corridor of Fame web site). With out these efforts we might have by no means heard about these Black baseball legends.
If in case you have observed the design of this 12 months’s MLB The Present 24 Collector’s Version, this is the reason it’s been made to pay homage to those necessary members of baseball’s historical past. This 12 months’s theme, as Russell places is, “is a tribute to those that helped give a voice to the unvoiced.” With out these newspapers and the pioneering baseball writers, the Negro Leagues wouldn’t have survived; they preserved this often-overlooked chapter of American and baseball historical past.
“The Kansas Metropolis Name, Pittsburg Currier, and Chicago Defender are only a few of the black-oriented newspapers within the Thirties and Forties that shaped a symbiotic relationship with the Negro Leagues,” Russell explains. ““They, together with what pioneering black writers like Wendell Smith and Sam Lacy documented, are so necessary to this story. We’re hoping our followers love the quilt artwork, and from the response we’ve obtained they in reality do. For some followers the journey will finish there and that’s OK. For others, they might dig a little bit deeper to study a little bit extra in regards to the historical past behind the inventive.”
Of their continued partnership with The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas Metropolis, MLB The Present will donate $1 for each Negro Leagues Version, Digital Deluxe Version, and MVP version offered within the U.S. till 12/31/24 to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. You may go to the official web site of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum right here to study extra about their necessary work.
Search for MLB The Present 24 to launch on Xbox One, Xbox Sequence X|S, and day one with Xbox Recreation Move on March 19, 2024. Xbox Recreation Move members may choose up the Digital Deluxe Version and 4 days early entry by buying the Digital Deluxe Improve Add-On Bundle right here on the Xbox Retailer.
MLB® The Present™ 24 – MVP Version (Pre-Order)
MLB
$84.99
Pre-order to obtain a Gold Selection Pack and Early Entry on March 15, 2024.
This version of MLB The Present 24 contains:
• Full Recreation for Xbox One and Xbox Sequence X|S
• 10,000 Stubs™
• 1 Diamond Selection Pack
• 1 Gear Pack
• 10 The Present Packs
• 1 Double Each day Rewards
• 1 Cowl Athlete Bat Pores and skin
Unlock Your Second
It’s your Present. Able to personal it?
Set out on the street to baseball greatness – no matter it’s you need to obtain, MLB® The Present™ 24 has obtained you coated.
Earn your name up from the minors to the large leagues and show you’ve obtained what it takes on the prime. Study from the legends of the game, take inspiration from their heroics and use it to enhance your sport. Maintain your nerve when it issues and earn the best to be referred to as World Sequence champions.
Chalk up the wins, choose your self up after the losses.
No matter occurs, know you left nothing within the dugout.
Celebrating Historical past with Storylines
Rejoice and find out about baseball legends all through the game’s historical past. The Storylines mode transports you into baseball’s previous to relive iconic moments of baseball’s unsung and unknown heroes. Expertise career-defining moments by means of a mixture of immersive gameplay that can educate and encourage you to make historical past of your individual.
Highway to the Present
Unlock your second and construct your profession within the final baseball role-playing expertise. Turn into a ballplayer and journey from the minors to the majors to outline your legacy.
Franchise
Lead your group to World Sequence glory as a group supervisor in Franchise mode. Expertise new options offering extra in-depth and dynamic gameplay from March to October.
March to October
Take management of your favourite group, deal with the important thing streamlined in-season moments and see if you may get to the Playoffs and past.
Diamond Dynasty
Construct your fantasy group of gamers from throughout all eras of baseball’s historical past as Diamond Dynasty returns for an additional season. Gather participant playing cards, construct your dream squad, and play head-to-head towards different gamers on-line and offline whereas customizing your group’s look.*
Multiplayer
Collect your pals and face off in cross-platform play.** Climb the leaderboards and compete towards others on-line, or expertise group glory collectively by means of on-line co-op play. With cross-progression, proceed your progress and earn and use content material on different console platforms.***
