Unveiling a Forgotten Chapter in Baseball History with MLB: The Show's Negro Leagues

The latest edition of Sony's MLB: The Show marks a historic milestone as it introduces the Negro Leagues, a pivotal part of baseball's past. The Negro Leagues were established in 1920 as a result of racial segregation in the MLB and the United States, providing a platform for Black and Latin American professionals to compete until 1950. Ramone Russell, San Diego Studio's product development communications and brand strategist for MLB: The Show, shared the journey of incorporating this significant piece of baseball history into the game. Russell noted that the inclusion of the Negro Leagues was not feasible with previous console technology due to the need for accurate historical context and authentic representation of players, stadiums, and crowds. The decision to include the Negro Leagues was not taken lightly, with Russell acknowledging the challenges of telling historical stories about underrepresented communities and the Civil Rights Movement in a video game. The team drew inspiration from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and its president, Bob Kendrick, to ensure the accurate and respectful portrayal of these players' stories. One of the initial ideas involved in-game history lessons through podcast-like audio recordings, but the team eventually settled on short visual clips to introduce each player's story. Russell collaborated with the trailer team at PlayStation Creative to create a vertical slice, which took around 12 hours to complete. The vertical slice featured a Marvin Gaye track, Inner City Blues, which Russell felt captured the essence of the project. The team selected eight players for the first season, with the intention of adding more players in future releases. The title, MLB: The Show presents the Negro Leagues: Season One, reflects this plan. Russell emphasized the importance of presenting the history of the Negro Leagues in a way that is both educational and entertaining, without glossing over the harsh realities of the time period. The team worked closely with the families and estates of the players to ensure historical accuracy, including the rendering of the players' skin tones. The development process also involved creating new stadiums and crowds that reflected the era, including the fact that people attending Negro Leagues games were not racially segregated. The soundtrack for the feature was also carefully curated, with Russell taking on the task of creating the track list himself. The team doubled their music licensing budget to ensure the soundtrack was fitting for the project. Russell acknowledged the pressure of getting the project right, not just for himself, but for the San Diego Studio team and PlayStation. He emphasized the importance of presenting Black history in a way that is respectful and inspiring, rather than traumatic. The team's motto for the project was 'educate, enlighten, and inspire,' and Russell hoped that the feature would be a celebration of the forgotten players and their achievements.