Could a College Baseball Game Succeed Today?

Feature Article

Submitted on: 06/25/2012 by Jayson Young

In the entire history of console gaming, only two college baseball games have ever been released: MVP 06 NCAA Baseball (PlayStation 2/Xbox) and MVP 07 NCAA Baseball (PlayStation 2).

It's possible that neither game would even exist if it weren't for the 2005 licensing deal between Take Two and Major League Baseball, which allowed console manufacturers Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo to continue making MLB titles for their own systems, but banned third party developers like EA Sports from creating any licensed MLB games.

Looking back, it's easy to see why EA Sports took a chance on college baseball in the years immediately following Take Two's exclusive control of third party MLB games.

EA Sports' baseball game from the previous season, MVP Baseball 2005, sold a whopping 2.8 million copies worldwide, including 1.54 million copies on the PlayStation 2 and 940,000 units on the Xbox.

To put those numbers in perspective, no baseball game this generation -- not even Sony's excellent MLB: The Show franchise -- has managed to sell 750,000 copies on a single system, which if it did, would still only be half of what MVP Baseball 2005 sold on the PlayStation 2.

At the time, the PlayStation 2 was a game publisher's dream system, as by November of 2005 -- just weeks before the January 2006 release of MVP Baseball 2006 -- the PlayStation 2 reached the milestone of 100 million units shipped worldwide, giving Sony's system a massive consumer base.

Today's consoles are only two-thirds as popular now as the PlayStation 2 was in 2006, as Sony's PlayStation 3 currently sits at just under 64 million worldwide units shipped as of March 2012. Microsoft's Xbox 360 is only slightly better, with 67 million units shipped worldwide as of April 2012.

Essentially, the climate for releasing a college baseball game could not have been any better than it was in early 2006 when the MVP NCAA Baseball series debuted.

EA Sports even went so far as to reduce the price of MVP 06 NCAA Baseball to $30 on release -- $10 cheaper than their chief competitor, MLB 2K6, which carried a price tag of $40 on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

How Previous College Baseball Games Fared

Despite favorable conditions leading up to its release, MVP 06 NCAA Baseball received mixed reviews from most game critics, earning a 76 Metascore. While the gameplay was solid and the innovative analog-stick hitting was widely praised, many reviewers found the overall experience dulled by generic players, inauthentic ballparks and boring presentation.

At retail, MVP 06 NCAA Baseball's performance was solid but unspectacular, selling 750,000 copies for the PlayStation 2 and 340,000 units for the Xbox. While those numbers look great by today's standards, at just $30 per sale, EA Sports' overall profits were significantly less than other sports games retailing at full price.

The following year, EA Sports scrapped the Xbox version and launched MVP 07 NCAA Baseball exclusively for PlayStation 2. Releasing in February of 2007, MVP 07 NCAA Baseball was once again met with mediocre reviews, totaling an identical 76 Metascore.

Sales data for MVP 07 NCAA Baseball could not be found, but given that EA Sports chose not to continue the series any further, it's likely that MVP 07 NCAA Baseball was significantly outsold by Take Two's Major League Baseball 2K7, which was beginning its second season on the Xbox 360 and making its first appearance on the PlayStation 3.

How Recent NCAA Games Have Fared

Besides baseball, only two other college sports have ever received an officially licensed NCAA video game: football and men's basketball.

EA Sports' NCAA Football series continues to sell millions of copies each year, as it has regularly since its 1993 debut on the Sega Genesis under the name Bill Walsh College Football.

A number of college basketball games have irregularly appeared through the years, beginning with 1995's Coach K College Basketball on the Sega Genesis and ending in 2009 with NCAA Basketball 10 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Currently, no college basketball games are being developed, as the basketball genre has been NBA-only since 2009.

Besides football, the only current collegiate sport receiving video game adaptions is lacrosse, as independent developer Triple B Games has quietly released a downloadable College Lacrosse game over Xbox Live every year since 2009. The College Lacrosse series is currently unlicensed, but the developer aims to eventually secure the NCAA rights once the franchise is able to transition from being a download-only title to a multiplatform retail release.

Why aren't more college sports games being made? The primary reason is that, outside of football and men's basketball, there's just not enough national interest, let alone worldwide interest in college sports. Football and men's basketball are generally the only profitable sports programs for NCAA schools. Most other sports cost universities more money to maintain than they generate in yearly revenue.

The other difficulty facing collegiate video games is licensing costs and royalty fees. Publishers must give the NCAA an initial payment just to put school and team likenesses in a video game. Then once the game is on store shelves, every copy sold generates royalties for the NCAA. Like all licensed sports games, NCAA video games are simply more expensive to make and more difficult for game companies to draw a profit from.

How Recent Baseball Games Have Fared

As baseball's national popularity continues to decline, so, too, have baseball video game sales. Even undeniably great baseball games like Sony's MLB: The Show have posted less-than-great numbers when compared to other titles in the sports market.

Since moving to the PlayStation 3, Sony's MLB: The Show has consistently ranked as one of the highest-rated sports franchises among media outlets. But despite critical acclaim, The Show has performed average at retail.

MLB 12: The Show -- 440,000 (PS3) + 70,000 (Vita) = 0.51 million total
MLB 11: The Show -- 490,000 (PS3) + 110,000 (PSP) + 130,000 (PS2) = 0.73 million total
MLB 10: The Show -- 680,000 (PS3) + 170,000 (PSP) + 410,000 (PS2) = 1.26 million total
MLB 09: The Show -- 680,000 (PS3) + 250,000 (PSP) + 330,000 (PS2) = 1.26 million total
MLB 08: The Show -- 680,000 (PS3) + 330,000 (PSP) + 420,000 (PS2)= 1.43 million total
MLB 07: The Show -- 300,000 (PS3) + 280,000 (PSP) + 930,000 (PS2) = 1.51 million total

While series like FIFA, Madden NFL, NBA 2K and NCAA Football continue to sell several millions of copies annually, The Show has only hit the 1.5 million mark once this generation. The Show's sales have also dropped or stayed even every year since its PlayStation 3 debut.

Take Two's MLB 2K series simply has not performed well by any standard this generation. Despite releasing every year on a multitude of systems, the MLB 2K franchise has been routinely disliked by critics and by game-buyers, leading to its recent cancellation.

Major League Baseball 2K12 -- 250,000 (Xbox 360) + 80,000 (PS3) + 50,000 (Wii) + 20,000 (PSP) + 10,000 (PC) + 10,000 (DS) = 0.45 million total
Major League Baseball 2K11 -- 390,000 (Xbox 360) + 140,000 (PS3) + 140,000 (Wii) + 60,000 (DS) + 50,000 (PC) + 50,000 (PS2) + 40,000 (PSP) = 0.87 million total
Major League Baseball 2K10 -- 470,000 (Xbox 360) + 240,000 (Wii) + 230,000 (PS2) + 170,000 (PS3) + 140,000 (DS) + 60,000 (PSP) = 1.31 million total
Major League Baseball 2K9 -- 590,000 (Xbox 360) + 250,000 (Wii) + 170,000 (PS3) + 170,000 (PS2) + 80,000 (PSP) = 1.26 million total
Major League Baseball 2K8 -- 590,000 (Xbox 360) + 280,000 (PS3) + 150,000 (PS2) + 130,000 (Wii) + 110,000 (DS) + 30,000 (PSP) = 1.30 million total
Major League Baseball 2K7 -- 700,000 (Xbox 360) + 600,000 (PS2) + 240,000 (PS3) + 90,000 (PSP) = 1.63 million total

Video game analyst, Michael Pachter, estimates that Take Two's MLB 2K games were costing the company $30 million a year in losses.

Japanese publisher, Konami, also makes baseball games, albeit with much smaller development budgets. While their Power Pros series comes out every year in Japan, it has seen just two releases in North America this generation:

MLB Power Pros -- 280,000 (Wii) + 110,000 (PS2) = 0.39 million total
MLB Power Pros 2008 -- 150,000 (PS2) + 130,000 (Wii) + 50,000 (DS) = 0.33 million total

No specific sales data is available for MLB Bobblehead Pros, which was Konami's attempt to rebrand the Power Pros series as a downloadable budget title. Though the Xbox Live Arcade game earned generally favorable reviews, it currently sits as just the 303-bestselling title on the platform out of 489 games. MLB Bobblehead Pros' XBLA performance was so poor that the planned North American PlayStation 3 version was ultimately cancelled.

Konami also produces the Pro Yakyuu Spirits series, which releases yearly in Japan, using the league license for Nippon Professional Baseball.

Pro Yakyuu Spirits 2012 -- 160,000 (PS3) + 140,000 (PSP) + 30,000 (Vita) = 0.33 million total
Pro Yakyuu Spirits 2011 -- 180,000 (PS3) + 240,000 (PSP) + 70,000 (3DS) = 0.49 million total
Pro Yakyuu Spirits 2010 -- 210,000 (PS3) + 240,000 (PSP) + 100,000 (PS2) = 0.55 million total
Pro Yakyuu Spirits 6 -- 150,000 (PS3) + 130,000 (PS2) = 0.28 million total
Pro Yakyuu Spirits 5 -- 110,000 (PS3) + 180,000 (PS2) = 0.29 million total
Pro Yakyuu Spirits 4 -- 70,000 (PS3) + 190,000 (PS2) = 0.26 million total

Outlook Not So Good

Baseball fans may remember the MVP NCAA Baseball series fondly, but from the perspective of a modern game publisher, it seems like financial suicide to invest millions in a sports title the requires high licensing fees and appeals to only a small potential market.

With Take Two leaving the baseball genre to focus on NBA 2K, and EA Sports expressing no interest in making a new baseball game anytime soon, it would be up to Konami, Sony or maybe even Microsoft to attempt a college baseball title. However, with Major League Baseball no longer under an exclusivity deal, it's much more likely that those companies would pursue a MLB game long before they ever consider a collegiate baseball game.

If gamers see a new college baseball title in the immediate future, it would likely be a small-budget unlicensed game, similar to the yearly college lacrosse titles that Triple B Games have been releasing on the Xbox Indie channel since 2009.

Member Comments

# 1 PackerBacker123 @ 06/25/12 01:04 PM

you know I am so pissed that there is not a college hoops game out. How are we even talking about a college baseball game in the future when no one really watches college baseball in real life. OK, I am a little biased considering that Wisconsin cut its baseball program. But anyway back on point I think a CH game could either save 2k or tighten EA sports' grip on video games.

# 2 bigdoc85 @ 06/25/12 01:05 PM

Great job bringing the data into the analysis. I am a fan of NCAA Baseball 07 as it added analog pitching. I doubt that a college baseball game would sell very well but would love to see it -- how about adding it as DLC to the Show? Just use generic, but editable players.

# 3 foofighter2455 @ 06/25/12 01:18 PM

The gaming mechanics in the NCAA Baseball games were great. I wish they could have built on those with the next-gen systems or at least made those games backwards compatible...

# 4 Kentucky_Wildcat23 @ 06/25/12 02:15 PM

I still play MVP07 NCAA Baseball. I currently only own a 360 and I tried 2k's MLB Baseball and I wasn't a fan. I really enjoy the Show the few times I played it on the PS2. I wonder sometimes if Sony would ever create the game for XBOX just to make even more money. I know I'm going out on a limb there, but I have a small hope.

# 5 speedtrucker @ 06/25/12 02:31 PM

my buddy and I still play MVP06 on our Xboxes, we will have Tourneys and still to this day we don't allow Texas to be picked... (we are both UT Alum and consider it an unfair option)

we loved the incorporation of the analog stick for base throwing and sliding into bases. also loved the ambient weather when you could see a storm slowly rolling in during a game and by the later innings it might actually start to lightly rain.

# 6 videlsports @ 06/25/12 03:00 PM

If theres is competitors that is doing College hoops and football than it would survive. once the agreements end, then we will see. College baseball would not last iMO.

# 7 aimiami @ 06/25/12 04:44 PM

It didnt even seem like they tried to make huge improvements with MVP NCAA baseball 07...(EA seems to do this often)
Also I really think this game would succeed if they made this game once every 3 years or something. A cool idea would be to put in Rosenblat... Although theirs really no point in releasing one for this generation of consoles because it seems like the new gen consoles are coming out soon.
Hopefully well see a NCAA baseball game then

# 8 packersfan4eva @ 06/25/12 07:59 PM

These numbers are misleading, as the other sports games sell millions every year, but there is only one option--EA. There are four baseball games out right now. If there was only one game to buy, I think more people would buy it.

# 9 Jazzman1522 @ 06/25/12 09:18 PM

MVP 06 was one of my favorite games, period. I loved the load and fire batting and I haven't played a baseball game since that implements analog batting nearly as well as that one did (Haven't played the Show since PS2 though). I still remember the feeling of fighting off a pitcher who was working me outside and then turning on a mistake inside pitch for a home run. Great stuff. Makes me wish I hadn't sold my PS2 when I made the jump to the 360...

# 10 Bigsheen @ 06/25/12 10:34 PM

it makes me sad that there isnt a new age college baseball game. Sony should pull and EA and use the "The Show" engine and make a college game. The college game would have to come out about a month earlier than mlb which might cause some development issues..even if it was only a digital download game..it would make my day.

# 11 sdf4977 @ 06/25/12 11:14 PM

I really wish they NCAA Baseball and Basketball. I still play Basketball, and when I plug in my PS2 I play NCAA Baseball. I would love to see them have a game where we could import a draft class into baseball like Madden does

# 12 Profit89 @ 06/26/12 07:57 AM

College games would lead to financial suicide. Not enough interest.

# 13 BrandH @ 06/26/12 03:18 PM

NCAA 2007 was the biggest scam ever. The analog pitching didn't work to where you could get full velocity with a fastball and they didn't update the rosters. They just re-ranked the teams from 06 and used the same rosters. If those 2 things where fixed it would of been the best game I ever played

# 14 LucianoJJ @ 06/27/12 05:15 AM

I would buy a college baseball game. I would support a college hockey game. I would be willing to try a college lacrosse game on PS3. The problem is none of these sports have the mass appeal needed to sell enough units. Several years ago, there were multiple developers making plenty of sports games. Now, they are few and far between. It's sad but it's the new reality of this economy.

# 15 jfrost32 @ 06/27/12 11:40 AM

Its simple, if you actually put in effort and make a great sports game it will sell. The sports video gamers have shifted from the arcade type to sim. No one wants boosts or little bonuses so you could hit 30 hrs in a game like these little kids want to. We want games that replicate real life and if these video game companies arent going to put in the effort then their title will fall because we wont buy it. I love all sports, I would love to play a college baseball game, even a college hockey game but the average person only likes the professional sports and dont realize that sometimes the college sports are better with competition. Besides what would you rather watch...the nba finals or march madness? ya i think we would pick march madness just because its more exciting.

# 16 franch1se @ 06/27/12 01:22 PM

if College Basketball can't sell then no way in hell would baseball. I did have MVP 07 though (if that was college game?)

# 17 smalls005 @ 06/27/12 10:26 PM

I would love for a company to put themselves out there and try to develop a College game again. I'm a die hard Carolina fan and would love to play with boys in the "Blat". I feel the involvment in sports games has changed alot in the past six years and that developers might be suprised at the amount of support a college baseball would get

# 18 DJ @ 06/28/12 11:35 PM

Baseball games in general are a tough sell, it would appear. I'm surprised that The Show's sales have slipped so far in the past 3 years. Wonder why that is when the game is so highly regarded?

# 19 Watson @ 06/29/12 12:22 PM

Yes. I'd pay 75 for a college version of The Show 11

# 20 SolidSnake07 @ 06/30/12 02:48 AM

College baseball just doesnt have the same appeal that college football has and for that reason I dont see a college baseball game ever being made again. They dont even make college basketball games anymore.

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