MLB The Show 21 Missing Popular Feature

When MLB The Show 21 lands on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, it won't be bringing one of its popular features with it. As the series starts fresh for the first time on Microsoft's consoles, players are going to have to start anew in 2021 as well.

MLB The Show 21 has been a Sony exclusive since the start of the franchise. After the exclusivity deal expired in 2020, there were rumors that the game might become multi-platform, and that was confirmed earlier this year first with the leak of the MLB The Show 21 cover showing Xbox Series X/S support.  The leak was later confirmed thanks to an official release from Sony. Since the announcement that MLB The Show 21 is coming to the PS4, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, players have wondered what features were coming with it and which ones were being left in the dust.

In a recent FAQ on the game's official website, the developers confirmed another rumor that had been floating around since the MLB The Show 21's reveal. This year's version of the game won't allow players to transfer previous years' saves into the newest release. The development team didn't spell out exactly why the ability to import previous saves into the game was left out this year. They also didn't specifically say if the feature is gone forever, or simply not available in 2021. Instead, it said there wasn't anything to report about the future of the feature.

The ability to import franchise saves from one version to the next has been a popular one because players didn't have to worry about starting completely over in a new game. Instead, if they had a long franchise going, or wanted to bring over their Road to the Show player, they could do it and conceivably take advantage of new features and improved graphics from year to year.

While this the first time the series is on the next-generation consoles, it's also skipping another feature quite a few games released since November offered. The development team previously confirmed that those that purchase the standard version of MLB The Show 21 on the PS4 or Xbox One will not get a free upgrade to the Xbox Series X/S or PS5 versions of the game. Players who purchase the current-gen version with hopes of the upgrade for free when they eventually grab a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S will need to get the deluxe version of the game.

While Sony isn't allowing users to import their old saves, there is one new feature coming this year. Cross progression and cross-saves are coming to MLB The Show 21. That means a player can start a franchise or Road to the Show on an Xbox Series X/S and continue it on a PS5 and vice-versa.

For years now, Sony has more or less had complete exclusivity when it comes high quality baseball games. While Xbox gamers have been able to play the arcade-style RBI Baseball games, they have missed out on the much bigger-budget simulation MLB series, MLB The Show. However, there is a chance that the upcoming MLB The Show 21 will be making its way to Xbox as well, which should prove to be a good thing for both Xbox and PlayStation fans.