MLB The Show 25 Will Remove Last Year's Most Controversial Feature

With the baseball season wrapped up for this year, focus is already shifting to the eventual release of MLB The Show 25. Each year sees changes implemented based on long-term development and community feedback, and Sony San Diego has already revealed details about one major piece of MLB The Show 24 that won't be returning.

The decision came after increasingly heavy pressure by fans that felt the feature had not had the impact Sony San Diego intended. In the process, new details have also been revealed about how multiple game modes will be addressed in MLB The Show 25.

MLB The Show 25 to remove Diamond Dynasty feature

While official news about the MLB The Show 25 release date and more isn't expected until January, Sony San Diego has given fans some crucial updates about the ongoing development of that title. The biggest news is that a major part of Diamond Dynasty, the Sets and Seasons mechanic, will not be returning.

This comes just two years after it was implemented, and at first it did sound like Sets and Seasons had the right goals. Most sports games with an ultimate team styled mode run the risk of impacting player engagement as power creep moves in. Cards available to players right as the game releases will inevitably become obsolete in favor of higher rated cards released later in the year.

Sets and Seasons aimed to eliminate power creep by dropping 99 OVR cards on day one, and instead cards had rotating eligibility with each subsequent six to eight week long season. Unfortunately, many regular Diamond Dynasty players became increasingly frustrated by this. Heavy gameplay time invested in getting cards from an initial set to a Parallel 5 ranking for ability bonuses would become less and less valuable as the year went on.

Either you'd be forced to use only a limited few out of season cards, or players would simply lose interest once a new season rolled around. MLB The Show 23 was the first game to feature Sets and Seasons, and it was further tuned for MLB The Show 24, but the experiment is now over. MLB The Show 25 will return to a previous Diamond Dynasty structure without these limitations, and they've essentially removed it from MLB The Show 24 in an update that also gives players the chance to earn MLB the Show 25 packs by playing Diamond Dynasty in the current game.

Along with that change, Sony San Diego also dropped a little news about what else is on the horizon in MLB The Show 25. Here are the main game modes and features being addressed:

• Road To The Show: Deepen the player’s journey, before being drafted, and return control to how a player develops and grows in new and interesting ways. 
• Diamond Dynasty: Alongside the retirement of Sets and Seasons, our fans can look forward to all-new elements of the Diamond Dynasty experience blended with what our fans love most about Diamond Dynasty. 
• Franchise: Improved trade evaluation metrics are coming along with a new fun and engaging offseason experience.
• Gameplay: With the expansion of quick time events, defensive AI, and pathing updates, enjoy more engaging moment-to-moment gameplay.  

The MLB The Show 25 release date is expected to be in early March, as the real-world MLB season begins on March 18, 2025. Confirmation of that date and additional details like the MLB The Show 25 cover athlete are expected in late January 2025.