MLB The Show 26 Devs Explain the Harsh Reality of Making an Annual Sports Game

For two decades, the developers of MLB The Show have released a game every year. The series began with The Show 06 and recently saw the release of The Show 26, which debuted on March 17, 2026. The team had no time to sit back and enjoy their latest launch, as they're already looking ahead to the 2027 iteration of the popular baseball simulation and strategy game. Releasing The Show annually is a delicate balancing act for the team, as they both focus on player feedback and manage their extensive backlog of features and improvements they want to include in the future.

MLB The Show Gameplay Director Chris Gill and brand strategy and development leader Ramone Russell spoke to GameRant about the harsh realities of the quick development cycle, and how the team has to focus on allocating the limited resources they have in the time available to them for each game. For MLB The Show 26, the team focused on updating trade logic, implementing new systems such as Bear Down Pitching, and shifting batting rosters to reflect real-world changes. As the game launches, they have already pivoted to focus on the next iteration of The Show, with even more changes and improvements drawn from fan feedback and their own experiences.

The Annual Cycle Requires Constant Thinking Ahead

When GameRant spoke to Gill and Russell, MLB The Show 26 was just about to enter its early access period, which began on March 13 with the game officially launching on March 17. But, as Gill explained, as The Show 26 was debuting, he and his team had already begun looking ahead to MLB The Show 27:

"Because we're on an annual cycle, and we have to put the game out every single year, we essentially have about 11 months to develop. So, it's really important that, toward the end of the cycle, you start ramping up for the next cycle. So, there's this overlap of like constantly trying to figure out what we're going to put in the game this year, what we're going to hold off until next year."

Leadership within the MLB The Show development team is in constant communication during each short development cycle. "[We] communicate and collaborate throughout the year to figure out what we're going to do the following year," said Gill. As the team makes each important decision, such as which features to prioritize or which baseball player will appear on that year's cover — The Show 26 saw the reappearance of previous cover star Aaron Judge — they are already considering how this will impact next year's game.

Gill was not able to share any details, but did confirm that development has already begun on MLB The Show 27. He is particularly excited about continuing to improve the realism of players' movements and actions by accurately representing factors such as differences in pitching and batting styles, or how well a player performs in a clutch situation. The team is also considering how to evolve and grow the popular Storylines mode, which has focused on highlighting iconic Negro Leagues players and other key figures such as Derek Jeter.

Player Feedback Is A Major Consideration For The MLB The Show Developers

Baseball fans are legendarily devoted and vocal about their love of their favorite sport, and MLB The Show players are no exception. Gill revealed that he and his team regularly both receive and seek out feedback from players, which they then take into account when deciding what features to include, cut, or improve in each MLB The Show game. The result is a hybrid approach that incorporates both player thoughts and concerns as well as real-world data and shifting trends within the baseball world, such as the recent re-evaluations of how batting lineups are determined.

Gill spoke about how the team determines what to include when seeking and analyzing player feedback:

"A lot of times we will take a look and listen to what our community is screaming about, what they're asking for, those types of things. And we can manage to do some and some we can't, so we have to look at those in a way, along with the priorities that we know we already have."

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Unfortunately, with such a quick turnaround time for each game in the series, the MLB The Show team sometimes find themselves with quite a lengthy backlog, incorporating both desired new features and quality of life upgrades. "This year, no different than any other year, we have backlogs of things that we want to do all the time," Gill admitted. "It's just a matter of picking out the most important things. Essentially, it's just communicating, collaborating with each other and figuring out what it is that we think the community wants and what we think we can do best in that given year."

Despite the punishing development cycle, the MLB The Show team has delivered high-quality, realistic games year after year that clearly show their passion for baseball. Dedicated fans of the series have praised the series' many gameplay modes, wide variety of players from all eras of Major League Baseball, impressive volume of incorporated statistics and logic, and more. The MLB The Show games are consistently ranked among the best baseball video games of all time, and for good reason. While players are enjoying the recently launched MLB The Show 26, the hard-working team is already gearing up for next year's installment — which will certainly be another major step forward for the iconic series.