MLB the Show 21: Franchise Mode Changes

MLB the Show 21’s franchise mode changes are bringing a ton of excitement to players around the globe! Now also on XBox, everything is a change since this is the first year that MLB the Show will be available XBox owners. For this reason, we will discuss the general features of franchise mode first, and then get more in-depth with the new changes that will be coming to the game this year specifically.

Knowing Your Game

First off, your franchise begins by picking a team. You could actually create your own team from scratch if that interests you! This directly plays into the stadium creator feature that we will discuss later. From there you can adjust your settings. Between starting your season in spring training or the regular season, we don’t really see the benefit of starting early in the year, but if you really want to play those extra games, then be our guest.

Once you get into the mode, you will see many different options, from setting the daily lineups and pitching rotation, to creating the budget and goals for the team. The options are really endless to make everything your own experience. The goals are generated for you at first by the general manager, your boss. They all vary for the team performance category, but besides that the goals are pretty standard. For example the goals for the Pittsburgh Pirates are to finish over .500 and reach the postseason.

Your Players are Your Franchise

Besides dealing with the team on a large scale, you also have the power to view the happiness and contract of each individual team member. If your team is low on cash flow, you can actually use stubs from diamond dynasty to increase your bank’s balance. This will help you lobby to buy new free agents or sign your current players to a larger contract. You also have the opportunity to adjust each player’s training profile to help increase their attributes. This can be a lot of work, but don’t worry because with the default settings it takes care of all of this for you.

Of course, there is a free agent category, as well as scouting, trades, transactions, and contracts. Again with the default settings all of these options will be taken care of for you automatically, mainly so you don’t have to worry about resigning your team and scouting for the minor leagues. However we do suggest that you actively look at the free agents and trade sections to improve your team.

Sponsorships

Besides those features, the only extra thing left are sponsorships. These are often earned during the diamond dynasty mode and are then applied into franchise mode. This is a way to get a player outside of their comfort zone and try out the different modes. Of course, sponsorships are what they sound like, a way for your franchise to make a little extra money. They are based off of incentives like hitting home runs and winning games and just add a little cash to your budget.

We expect these features to stay relatively the same in MLB the Show 21 compared to MLB the Show 20, but either way they are still new to all of the Xbox people playing the game for the first time. Besides these features, there is also the brand new stadium creator and the home run robbing features.

Home Run Robbing

We will save the best for last, which will be the stadium creator. So first up, the home run robbing features. In this game, they were extremely frustrating and we still don’t know how to use them properly after playing the game for over a year! Even with some of the best players in the league and what seems to be perfect timing, we still can’t seem to figure it out.

Well, lo and behold! MLB the Show 21 developers recognized this issue and redesigned the home run robbing process.

Since the game is not out yet, and only a few people have early access this early before it comes out, the specifics are not yet known. From the videos that were shared online, the major difference can be seen is that the system is now represented by an arrow up the wall instead of a circular system on the warning track. This arrow should give your player an area close to the ball to lock onto the animation. It will also change colors so you know exactly when to jump up and grab the ball. We are excited to see this improvement in the game and franchise mode after its poor performance last year!

Stadium Creator

The other big difference in the franchise mode will be the stadium creator. We wrote an in-depth article for you on this topic, so this paragraph will act as a summary for the subject as a whole. It will first be initiated in franchise mode, so unlike the other features, franchise mode is the only option. It will allow for each player to put their own personal spin on their home stadium, or create a stadium for a team that you create from scratch.

A Change in Franchise

The stadium creator is by far one of the most exciting features coming to franchise mode in MLB the Show 21. Besides that, not necessarily a whole lot is changing, or at least they have yet to announce the big changes. However, for Xbox players, everything will seem to be brand new! It can be a fun new spin on the game compared to diamond dynasty, with a lot of extra logistics behind the scenes.

We’ve got more changes to share with you here, and we hope you enjoy the new MLB The Show 21 franchise mode features!