MLB The Show is now on Xbox and owners are interested

For the first time since 2006, MLB The Show will be available on Xbox for the 2021 version, and YouGov metrics suggest interest among Xbox owners in the United States is strong.

The Major League Baseball video game series, published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, had remained a PlayStation-exclusive title until this year.

YouGov BrandIndex data shows about one in ten Xbox owners considered playing the title when asked throughout the first quarter of 2021, ahead of the game’s April 20 launch. That figure represents the title’s highest Consideration score among Xbox owners since at least Q2 of 2019. It’s also nearly double the game’s latest Consideration score among PlayStation owners (5.6%).

The game’s expansion onto PlayStation’s console rival represents an opportunity for the league to reach a wider audience, not unlike other league titles such as the Madden or FIFA franchises.

MLB The Show will have cross-play, meaning Xbox users will be able to play with PS players and vice versa.

Meanwhile, trends gleaned from BrandIndex data going back to 2019 shows MLB The Show’s Consideration score rises before or during the holiday season and during spring training in March when hype around the season is building.

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Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. MLB The Show’s Consideration score score is based on the question: “Which of the following video games would you consider playing?” and delivered as a percentage. Learn more about BrandIndex.