Before I get too deep into it, I don’t want this to come across as me poo-pooing all over Weekend Classic in MLB The Show 25. Because, truthfully, I think it’s a phenomenal idea and long overdue, especially given most sports games have some sort of uber-competitive mode when it comes to earning rewards. That said, its implementation has been… less than perfect.
When it was first rolled out, matchmaking was a complete disaster. Some people who qualified at certain levels wouldn’t be held there, and instead were forced to face players at difficulties they aren’t good at. San Diego Studio quickly learned from its mistakes and fixed this issue. However, a few months later, a few new issues have presented themselves.
The New Issues Plaguing Weekend Classic In MLB The Show 25
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After the aforementioned growing pains, SDS attempted to make Weekend Classic a much fairer experience that wouldn’t see players ascend to levels that they weren’t ready for yet. However, in the wake of these changes, some players have attempted to game the system in other ways.
Players Are Avoiding Ranked Matches
One way a lot of players have exploited Weekend Classic’s matchmaking system is by not playing as many Ranked games. Let me provide an example.
Without mentioning any names, there have been multiple instances of top or highly skilled players intentionally avoiding advancing to the higher levels. Instead, they’ll play (and win) as many games as they can without breaking the 900 threshold to move their way into the divisions where you have to play on Legend difficulty. Instead, they receive a rating between 700 and 800, which keeps them at Hall of Fame difficulty.
And, in turn, they are playing against others who aren’t nearly as good and getting an easy path to some of the best rewards in the game. The skill gap in MLB The Show 25 is big — All-Star players will struggle on Hall of Fame, and Hall of Fame players will struggle on Legend.
No lie, I’ve done better in Weekend Classic on Legend difficulty than I have on Hall of Fame. And that’s because the Diamond League — the matchmaking region the game places you in, should you peak at a rating between 900 and 999 — is mostly made up of players who are trying to test themselves at a higher level. Meanwhile, you have some of the best players in the game just sitting in Gold 1 looking for easy wins, or in 1000s playing against other elite players.
But purposefully sandbagging isn’t the only new issue. There are also the bots.
Bot Accounts Are A Major Disruption
I don’t know when exactly this started becoming a thing, but the bots in MLB The Show 25 have been awful. For the better part of this week, it’s been hard for me to find actual games against actual people because bot accounts will match with you, then do nothing until the connection times out. And in Weekend Classic, many people have been exploiting these bots for easy wins. I don’t know how that entire system works, but it’s a confirmed thing. And not only is it dishonest for people to be using bots for free wins, but it’s negatively affected some players who aren’t even looking for free wins.
Frostiee — arguably the best MLB The Show player in the world — recently matched up against a bot during Weekend Classic on stream. He knew it was a bot, too. Upon matching with it, his choices were as follows:
- Quit the game and take a loss during a game that only gives you 6 tries for the best rewards
- Beat the bot and move on
Frostiee chose the second option, because why wouldn’t he? And what did he get for it? A ban.
Frostiee is among the best of the best at MLB The Show 25. This player has won multiple high-stakes tournaments and has destroyed virtually all of the competition. This is not somebody who needs to exploit bots to win a game. But, he got banned anyway.
So, why bring this up? Because when others try to cheat, it has led to innocent players who don’t need or want to cheat getting penalized. And that is a complete failure on SDS’s part.
The Show 25 Has Problems, But There Is A Path Forward
Let me be clear: I love MLB The Show 25. And despite some of its criticisms, I think it’s one of, if not the, best sports games on the market right now. But if SDS is serious about making Weekend Classic all it can be, then changes need to be made.
Perhaps Weekend Classic matchmaking should shift to a more average rating type of deal over the course of an entire cycle, rather than just placing people in leagues based on their monthly finish. Perhaps, instead of punishing unwitting individuals who are matched with bots, they should implement measures to prevent bots from participating in Weekend Classic in the first place.
Yeah, it’s easy for me to sit here and armchair quarterback this whole ordeal. But I don’t have these issues when playing Weekend League in EA FC. And if EA Sports is doing a better job at a competitive mode than you are, there’s a problem.
Published: Jul 17, 2025 02:50 pm