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MLB The Show 24 proudly announces Road to the Show: Women Pave Their Way. A brand new addition to the Road to the Show mode.
For the first time, you can create and play as a woman ballplayer, with a unique Road to the Show story that evolves with the player over the course of your career. Experience a personalized story where players can interact and build their baseball careers. This path will include all existing features of Road to the Show with the addition of a unique-to-women storyline following a lifelong friendship as it develops in professional baseball.
We had the opportunity to hear from Mollie Braley, Narrative Designer, and Kelsie Whitmore, the first woman player in an MLB Partnered League, member of the Women’s USA Baseball National Team, and 2022 USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year.
Ramone Russel: What was the inspiration for creating Road to the Show: Women Pave Their Way? Describe the mode, and what are some new features players can look forward to?
Mollie Braley: This feature was inspired by the stories of women in baseball. Throughout history, women have been making waves in the sport. These include legends such as Toni Stone, who was one of the first women ever to play professional baseball, and has a new Storyline in MLB The Show 24. Our team wanted to create something where dreams become a reality, and we felt like adding this to Road to the Show was the perfect opportunity that gave our players the option to experience this.
This addition to RTTS gives players the option to create and play as a woman ballplayer in a way that includes all features of the existing RTTS mode, while also providing a unique path about breaking barriers in baseball. We wanted the scenarios and characters in this new experience to feel as authentic as possible, so we went straight to the source, interviewing and drawing inspiration from some of the most successful women in baseball, such as Kelsie Whitmore.
We learned about the immense importance of community and support amongst the small but ever-growing group of women in baseball. This is one of the main reasons we chose to include a buddy character in RTTS for the first time ever. Mia Lewis, your RTTS player’s childhood friend and fellow ballplayer, represents the camaraderie professional players like Kelsie Whitmore have said is so important to their success on and off the field. Mia is a sounding board, a support system, and a competitive player in her own right, and your relationship with her in-game will grow and evolve throughout your career.
What does the mode and this project mean to you?
Mollie: This project means the world to me, and it was such a pleasure to work on. I’m so happy to have a hand in growing and evolving MLB The Show 24 with this new inclusion.
This is a feature that goes beyond simply allowing players to create a woman ballplayer in the game. It’s also meant to highlight the strength, tenacity, and resilience that it takes to break into the sport; but not shy away from the struggles that many have faced. Through this feature, we can help shine light on the amazing community, support, and talent that have also been part of the journey. This story of adversity and triumph, one that we started telling with Negro Leagues Storylines, is one that so many people can relate to, and reflecting this in a video game is something I care very deeply about and am proud to work on.
Kelsie Whitmore: This new gameplay experience is a unique pivot in the baseball world that will encourage, inspire, and motivate individuals to chase their dreams. There has been a lot of deep thought, meaningful conversations, and the best intentions going into this. I am proud of MLB the Show for taking a chance of applying real life change into the game. To me, this project is a great opportunity for the world to be informed of women who play baseball and that taking their skills to the next level is possible. My hopes for this project is to educate others that women/girls do play baseball and that they are capable of competing in this game at every level.
What are you most excited to experience in Road to the Show: Women Pave Their Way?
Mollie: The things I’m most excited about experiencing playing as a woman character in RTTS are the evolving interactions with Mia Lewis as her career unfolds alongside mine and all the ways the in-game world responds to my player as she makes her way to the big leagues.
I already talked about the new character we’ve added to the RTTS experience if you choose to play as a woman, but there are so many different scenes to discover with her, and her career path may change with each playthrough. That kind of narrative variation is really fun to me and I hope other players will enjoy creating their own unique experiences as well.
We also have a ton of new commentary, MLB network segments, and other fun things that relate specifically to your player and your progress that create an immersive experience as you break barriers on your way to the top.
MLB The Show 24 hits PS5 and PS4 on March 19.