Reviving Baseball's Forgotten Past: The Introduction of Negro Leagues in MLB: The Show

The latest installment of Sony's MLB: The Show marks a significant milestone as it becomes the first game in the series to feature the Negro Leagues. Born out of racial segregation in the MLB and America, the Negro Leagues provided a platform for Black and Latin American professionals to compete from 1920 to 1950. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Ramone Russell, San Diego Studio's product development communications and MLB: The Show's brand strategist, delves into the journey of incorporating this missing piece of baseball history into the game. Russell recounts that the question of when the Negro Leagues would be included in the game was frequently asked during press events, with the answer always being that it was a consideration, but the team needed to figure out the right approach. The technological capabilities of previous console generations posed a significant barrier to including the Negro Leagues, as it required presenting historical context and information accurately, as well as authentically recreating players, stadiums, and crowds. Russell notes that the first hurdle was not a lack of effort but rather determining the best way to tackle the project. He emphasizes that waiting for perfect conditions can hinder progress, and the team had to push forward despite the challenges. Telling the stories of these players presented multiple challenges for San Diego Studio, particularly in handling sensitive historical topics such as the Jim Crow era and the Civil Rights Movement. Russell cites the example of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson's story, who faced intense racism when he broke the color barrier in the MLB in 1947. The team had to balance the need to tell these stories accurately and appropriately for their audience, given that the game is officially licensed by the MLB and carries an E rating. The introduction of these players began with outreach to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and its president, Bob Kendrick, seeking to incorporate his expertise into the game. Russell explains that this involved numerous attempts and prototypes, including an idea to provide in-game history lessons via podcast-like audio recordings. Eventually, the team settled on a concept featuring short visual clips of each player's story before they take the field. Russell took it upon himself to create a vertical slice to better convey the concept to the team, with the help of the trailer team at PlayStation Creative. The vertical slice video took around 12 hours to create and was set to Marvin Gaye's 'Inner City Blues', which Russell felt captured the essence of the project. By January 2021, the team had a clearer vision of the concept, selecting eight players to form the initial 60 stories. However, given the game's yearly development cycle and the nine-month development window, the team realized they couldn't do justice to the breadth and depth of the Negro Leagues in a single console release. San Diego Studio decided to include eight to ten players per year, with the first installment titled 'MLB: The Show presents the Negro Leagues: Season One' to indicate that future content would be forthcoming. The team relied on Kendrick's guidance in conceptualizing the inaugural roster, which included legendary players like Leroy Robert 'Satchel' Paige and Jackie Robinson. Russell explains that the president of the Negro Leagues Museum was filmed over two days, addressing all questions about the players' profiles in his first storyline recording without being directly asked. After filming, the team grappled with how to present this history in a way that was both educational and visually appealing. The studio faced additional developer challenges, such as rendering historical players accurately, particularly when the only available photos were in black and white. In some cases, the team worked with the players' families and estates to determine their skin tone, as with Hilton Smith, who played from 1932 to 1948. Historical accuracy extended beyond the players to the stadiums and crowds, which were specifically designed to reflect the era. Russell notes that Negro Leagues teams would often rent out ballparks on Sundays, and the crowds would be dressed in their Sunday best, as they would have just come from church. The visual differences in the crowds also reflected the fact that Negro Leagues games were not racially segregated, unlike MLB games at the time. The final piece of the development puzzle was the accompanying soundtrack, which Russell took on himself. He convinced the director to double the music licensing budget, emphasizing that the project wouldn't work without a separate soundtrack. Russell admits that he felt a deep sense of responsibility, knowing that if the project failed, he would be held accountable as the face of the MLB: The Show brand. He notes that his concerns about failure would also reflect negatively on the San Diego Studio team and PlayStation. The fear of getting it wrong was a significant motivator for Russell, who wanted to present Black history in a way that would not traumatize users. Instead, he aimed to create a feature that was both fun and inspirational, with a motto of 'educate, enlighten, and inspire', mirroring that of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Russell emphasizes that the team wanted to avoid perpetuating Black trauma in the game, instead opting for a celebration of these largely forgotten players and their achievements.