Super Mega Baseball 4’s release is just around the corner and a new video has dropped alongside more information on the ‘baseball legends’ that will be joining the series. This is the first in a series of Deep Dives that will debut as the game’s June 2 release approaches.

ICYMI: Check out our interview with Scott Drader here to find out more: https://purenintendo.com/super-mega-baseball-4-announced-launches-on-june-2-interview-with-metalhead-software/.

Here is the deep dive video alongside the full press release offering more details about how Baseball Legends work in SMB 4.

Full press release:

MLBPAA Integration

Over the last three Super Mega Baseball™ titles, you’ve seen the series expand with new fictional Super Mega Superstars, Teams, and Ballparks.

We’ve seen discussion throughout the years within our community about the desire to have some real-life players in the game. In SMB4, we had an opportunity to expand the Super Mega universe with the addition of real-life baseball legends.

One of our goals has been to make the Super Mega Baseball series a timeless experience, a game you can come back to year after year without feeling like your rosters are out of date. Having baseball greats in our game allows us to provide our players with real-life legends while maintaining the timeless nature of Super Mega Baseball. We felt this was the most authentic way to honor the heritage of baseball, and the eras and players that defined the sport we love so much.

Who are the Legends and Where Can We Find Them?

With over 240 Legends available to play at launch, there is absolutely no shortage of historic players to choose from.

Some of the most notable legends include:

  • David Ortiz
  • Vladimir Guerrero
  • Billy Wagner
  • Bartolo Colon
  • Jose Bautista
  • Mike Mussina
  • George Brett
  • Babe Ruth
  • Willie Mays
  • Rollie Fingers
  • Ozzie Smith
  • Hank Aaron and many, many more!

You can find these Legends in classic Super Mega League, as well as the brand-new Legends League in SMB4. Now players can choose to play as either fictional SMB characters or as their favourite Legends in the fictional SMB world.

In this League, we’ve organized the Legends into two Conferences: New School Conference and Old School Conference, pitting the two eras of baseball against each other.

Each Conference includes brand-new teams like the Mammotanks and Empire in the New School Conference, and Originators and Joyriders in the Old School Conference.

MLBPAA Integration in Game Modes

There are a ton of ways to play with the Legends in-game. We wanted to make sure our players had the flexibility to create the SMB experience they want to play.

You can play through Season mode using a Legends League team, or you can make a copy of a Legends League team and customize the players and team to your liking.

You can also start some modes like Franchise, Season and Online Leagues with our brand new Shuffle Draft feature, which will allow you to build teams that incorporate both Legends and Super Mega All-Stars into one team!

In Franchise mode, you can import players from other league(s) and they will appear as free agents you can pick up during your season, or in the offseason. For example, you can start a Franchise playthrough with the Super Mega League where the Legends appear as free agents from season to season.

We’ve also made some changes in Pennant Race to include our Legends. Each week, 4 players on each Super Mega League team are replaced by 4 Legends, which are now called “Pennant Race Ringers.” Teams that haven’t been used much recently or on aggregate lose more than other teams, receive stronger ringers. Conversely, teams that are picked frequently or have high win rates on aggregate, receive weaker ringers. This replaces random Mojo and Fitness changes for each race that were seen in SMB2 and SMB3. Pennant Race is still restricted to the 20 Super Mega League teams (but these teams can be visually customized).

We are excited to see how you’ll choose to incorporate the baseball legends into your Super Mega Baseball experience and, as always, will be looking out for community feedback.

Pre-order EA SPORTS™ Super Mega Baseball™ 4 Ballpark Edition and get to smashing dingers with Ortiz sooner with access three days early.

(3-day early access not available on Nintendo Switch; Pre-order offer for PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®5 platforms only valid in the U.S. and Canada. Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://www.ea.com/games/super-mega-baseball/super-mega-baseball-4/disclaimers for details.)