College Baseball’s First Pitch
What do you do when you can’t make MLB games anymore? Head to college.
Published: September 7, 2005
With all of the exclusive rights-buying craziness going on over the past year or so, publishers that used to be able to count on kicking out a new game for just about every sport every year. Nobody’s shedding a tear for EA after 2K Sports picked up the exclusive rights to pro baseball, but that doesn’t mean EA wasn’t looking for as many ways as a Midway or a 2K Sports or what have you to keep making a buck.
When you can’t go to the pros, you go one step down: college. Of course, college baseball isn’t exactly hogging the ESPN time slots these days, but that doesn’t mean EA can’t take most of the code and experience they had with making MVP Baseball and apply it to the college scene, and it would appear that’s exactly what they’ve done with (deep breath) MVP 06 NCAA Baseball.
Leveraging EA’s partnership with ESPN (and the announcing team of Mike Patrick and Kyle Peterson) with the stuff that makes college baseball rather unique; aluminum bats, smaller stadiums, psycho fans, the game should offer something different. Included will be new batting and throwing systems, a deep dynasty mode, and all the other goodies you’d expect from an EA Sports title. And now, prepare for a crapload of quotes from people far, far richer then either of us.
“We’re excited to be able to work with our partners at the NCAA to deliver the first-ever college baseball video game and our most innovative baseball product to date,” beamed Brent Nielsen, senior producer on the project. “Baseball purists and casual fans alike have flocked to the MVP Baseball franchise in record numbers year after year. We know MVP 06 NCAA Baseball will only grow that passion for the best baseball experience on the market.”
“The excitement surrounding the College World Series and college baseball as a whole continues to rise with fan attendance and public interest increasing each year,” said Dennie Poppe, NCAA Managing Director for Baseball and Football before high-fiving no one in particular. “MVP 06 NCAA Baseball will allow fans an opportunity to experience college baseball through high tech video that has thrilling game action, along with the exciting team spirit and atmosphere that you see during an actual game. We’re pleased to work with EA on this project that will bring fans even closer to NCAA college baseball.”
"Electronic Arts has gone to great lengths to capture the unique features of college baseball," added Pat Battle, CEO of The Collegiate Licensing Company. “We have heard tremendous positive feedback from the university athletic directors, conference commissioners and the baseball coaches. There is a great deal of momentum surrounding college baseball, and this project is another significant step forward.”
We’ll have more as we get it.
When you can’t go to the pros, you go one step down: college. Of course, college baseball isn’t exactly hogging the ESPN time slots these days, but that doesn’t mean EA can’t take most of the code and experience they had with making MVP Baseball and apply it to the college scene, and it would appear that’s exactly what they’ve done with (deep breath) MVP 06 NCAA Baseball.
Leveraging EA’s partnership with ESPN (and the announcing team of Mike Patrick and Kyle Peterson) with the stuff that makes college baseball rather unique; aluminum bats, smaller stadiums, psycho fans, the game should offer something different. Included will be new batting and throwing systems, a deep dynasty mode, and all the other goodies you’d expect from an EA Sports title. And now, prepare for a crapload of quotes from people far, far richer then either of us.
“We’re excited to be able to work with our partners at the NCAA to deliver the first-ever college baseball video game and our most innovative baseball product to date,” beamed Brent Nielsen, senior producer on the project. “Baseball purists and casual fans alike have flocked to the MVP Baseball franchise in record numbers year after year. We know MVP 06 NCAA Baseball will only grow that passion for the best baseball experience on the market.”
“The excitement surrounding the College World Series and college baseball as a whole continues to rise with fan attendance and public interest increasing each year,” said Dennie Poppe, NCAA Managing Director for Baseball and Football before high-fiving no one in particular. “MVP 06 NCAA Baseball will allow fans an opportunity to experience college baseball through high tech video that has thrilling game action, along with the exciting team spirit and atmosphere that you see during an actual game. We’re pleased to work with EA on this project that will bring fans even closer to NCAA college baseball.”
"Electronic Arts has gone to great lengths to capture the unique features of college baseball," added Pat Battle, CEO of The Collegiate Licensing Company. “We have heard tremendous positive feedback from the university athletic directors, conference commissioners and the baseball coaches. There is a great deal of momentum surrounding college baseball, and this project is another significant step forward.”
We’ll have more as we get it.