MLB 2K12 is likely to be more anticipated by baseball fans than preceding iterations in the 2K franchise, though it’s not for the reasons anyone could have hoped.
Since attaining a license with Major League Baseball to be the exclusive third party developer of MLB video games on consoles, the MLB 2K series has been an exercise in poor quality control, failed development concepts, and in the opinion of consumers, a general lack of interest among those developing the game. The license has been nothing but a financial burden on the company in the past few years, and it’s expected that they won’t be renewing it after it expires this year. This will open the door to publishers like EA, whose MVP Baseball 2005 is still considered a benchmark among baseball video games all these years later.
Despite these unfortunate circumstances, Detroit Tigers fans who only have an Xbox 360 and can’t play the acclaimed MLB: The Show series on the Playstation 3 may yet have something to look forward to. During the 2011 MLB Players Choice Awards, which aired tonight on MLB Network, it was announced that Justin Verlander would grace the cover of MLB 2K12.
The flamethrowing righty won the American League Triple Crown in pitching this season, recording 24 wins, 250 strikeouts, and a stellar 2.40 ERA. Verlander has been featured in several ad campaigns for the MLB 2K franchise and has built a strong repertoire with the company over the years, so the announcement comes as no surprise.
MLB 2K12 will be releasing in March 2012 for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. Be sure to let us know what you think about the game in the comments or our new forums!