Earlier this year, Glu Mobile announced that it had signed a multi-year deal with the MLB, Chicago Cubs star player Kris Bryant (who was named the National League Most Valuable Player after the Cubs won the World Series last year), and other facets of the MLB. The partnership allows Glu to make MLB Tap Sports Baseball 2017 one of the most realistic mobile baseball games around by including 30 teams along with current players and select former players. Bryant is being featured as the game’s cover athlete for the second year in a row.
Jerome Collin, Glu Mobile’s VP of sports and racing games, talked with AListDaily about what the MLB licensing deal brings to the attention Bryant continues to bring to the franchise.
“MLB Tap Sports Baseball 2017 is easily the most realistic baseball experience on mobile,” said Collin, describing the game. “Its one-touch controls are easy to use, which makes it a breeze to jump right into a game. Its quick session lengths make it perfect for playing on mobile whenever you have a little extra time to kill.”
Collin continued by saying, “At its core, MLB Tap Sports Baseball 2017 lets you assemble your own team of real-world players. You get your favorite players and top MLB stars to challenge your friends, and you can build and level up your guys to top leaderboards against the best-of-the-best. For the first time this year, with our MLB partnership, the game lets the users pick their real-life favorite team and then use their authentic logos and uniforms. Users have access to all current players as well as select Legend players so they can bring their fantasy team to life.”
When asked how the licensing deal helps the game stand out from other sports titles on mobile, Collin replied, “Having all of the MLB, MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association), and MLBPAA (Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association) licenses certainly sets us apart, and the game really brings the world of Major League Baseball to life.
“We’ve done it in a way that’s extremely realistic,” Collin went on to explain. “For example, there’s a robust stats component—about 40-to-50 different stats on every player that users can look up, including all the advanced SABRmetric stats that baseball fans love! Our deep internal gameplay model ensures that pretty much all these stats turn out similar to how a player’s stats would in real-life for every player. It’s important to us that strategic elements of baseball are all in play and work exactly as they do in real life, and that’s felt throughout the game.”
The licensing deal allows the game to include authentic uniforms, and Collin discussed how it and the graphics worked to make MLB Tap Sports Baseball 2017 a realistic sports game. “Having the MLB license and also the great new graphics makes it visually true-to-life,” he said. “We have day and night games, dynamic shadows, all-new animations—including cool dives and celebrations—and other features that surprise users. Then add in the logos of all 30 teams, the league marks, and the uniforms. Users just don’t expect that level of visual realism in a mobile game. Our ultimate goal is to provide users with the most believable experience on mobile, both visually and in gameplay, and make them feel like they’re part of the game with the fantasy team of their dreams.”
Collin then talked Kris Bryant’s continued involvement with the mobile game franchise. “We have a great relationship with Kris Bryant, and we’re really excited to have him return as the featured player for MLB Tap Sports Baseball 2017,” said Collin. “We’ve worked closely with him to create a fun and engaging commercial to promote the game.”
Having the Chicago Cubs win the World Series must bring extra attention to the game. “In 2016, with the Chicago Cubs winning their first World Series in over 100 years, there was a lot of excitement and attention around baseball and the Cubs,” said Collin. “Of course, Kris Bryant helped lead the Cubs to victory, and was also named the National League MVP. So, having his name attached to MLB Tap Sports Baseball 2017 definitely creates some commotion. He’s a great guy and a talented player, and I think the whole world is excited for what the 2017 season has in store for Kris and the Cubs team.”
