MLB The Show is no longer the only PS5 baseball sim in town, as a new Konami rival has arrived completely free-to-play.
Available to download today, eBaseball: Pro Spirits is the latest entry in the Japanese publisher’s long-running – and acclaimed – Professional Spirits Baseball series.
Previously this has been exclusive to the Japanese market, but it has been creating buzz among Western baseball fans of late due to the stagnating nature of Sony’s sim.
The product blurb promises “lifelike motion and sound throughout the stadium”, powered by Unreal Engine.
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The summary reads:
“This next-generation visual experience is powered by Unreal Engine, enabling highly realistic details. Hair and skin textures appear almost tangible, and even the rain that falls onto the field is rendered with impressive authenticity.”
Of course the catch here is that this is free-to-play, so expect an experience similar to eFootball, where your primary objective is to collect cards and build a god squad to compete against other players online.
There is also an exhibition mode where you’ll be able to play as your “favourite teams” in offline matches, although obviously don’t expect any MLB representation here.
As such, we doubt Sony will be too worried about this, but a new competitor entering the space can only be considered a good thing.
There’s been a growing sentiment among fans that MLB The Show, once one of the best sports games you could find on console, has been going through the motions for many years.
Maybe this competitor from Konami will give it the kick in the butt it so sorely needs.