2K Sports has formally announced Major League Baseball 2K3 (MLB 2K13), which will be released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on March 5, 2013. Other platforms were not announced but will probably be confirmed and released at a later date.
This year, David Price, the American League Cy Young Award winner is the cover athlete, while the Perfect Game Challenge returns as well for the fourth year in a row.
Interestingly, Kotaku claims that the licensing agreement with Major League Baseball, which was recently renewed with 2K Sports, may have loosened the exclusivity restrictions. It’s probable Take 2 Interactive wished to spend less money on the license.
The full press release.
Cy Young Award Winner and Tampa Bay Rays` ace David Price named cover athlete
NEW YORK–(Business Wire)– 2K Sports today announced that the Company has reached an agreement with Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association, and Major League Baseball Advanced Media to release Major League Baseball 2K13, the next iteration of the popular MLB 2K franchise. MLB 2K13 will be available on March 5, 2013,for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation3 computer entertainment system.
“We`d like to thank our league partners for their support in helping us reach an agreement to bring back MLB 2K,” said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “We know fans are extremely passionate about the MLB 2K series and the Perfect Game Challenge.”
David Price, ace pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays, has been selected as the cover athlete for MLB 2K13. Price was recently named the American League Cy Young Award winner after posting a 20-5 record and league-best 2.56 ERA. Price edged out MLB 2K12 cover athlete Justin Verlander for the honors, and is the third consecutive reigning Cy Young Award winner to grace the cover of an MLB 2Kgame.
“It`s a dream come true to appear on the cover of MLB 2K13,” concluded Price, who helped lead the Rays to their fourth 90-win season in the last five years. “I`m looking forward to working with the 2K Sports team again, and welcoming another skilled gamer into `The Perfect Club.`”
The Perfect Game Challenge*, 2K Sports` groundbreaking $1 million competition, will also be returning for a fourth consecutive year and introduce a new contest format with exciting ways to win. Since 2010, 2K Sports has awarded $3 million in prize money to players exhibiting the highest caliber of skill in throwing a perfect game in MLB 2K. Last year`s Perfect Game Challenge achieved record participation numbers, with nearly 1 million attempts made and more than 1,000 perfect games registered. The contest was won by 21-year-old Christopher Gilmore, who prevailed in an eight-person tournament at the MLB FanCave in New
York City. Complete details of this year`s contest will be announced at a later date.
Developed by Visual Concepts, a 2K Sports studio, MLB2K13 is not yet rated by the ESRB and will be available on March 5, 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system.
For more information on 2K Sports, visit www.2KSports.com.
For more information on MLB 2K13, visit http://www.facebook.com/MLB2K.
Jonah Falcon is a blogger for TMRzoo and GameStooge.com and covers all gaming consoles and platforms including Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii, Sony PSP and computer games designed for Mac OS, Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems. Jonah provides his readers with reviews, previews, release dates and up to date gaming industry news, trailers and rumors.
