I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the Director of Business Development at COM2US USA and President of Out of the Park Developments, Rich Grisham.
We talked about OOTP 26 and its new features, improvements, what the main goals of this new entry are, and how important it is for the franchise.
Rich also shed light on the future of the OOTP franchise, talked about the importance of the partnership with the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and much more.
So, let's dive into it!
How would you describe OOTP 26?
"A strategy game that is authentic and true to the game of baseball! Whether you’re a fan of the modern game or are a fan of its incredible history, it’s ALL there in Out of the Park."
What makes OOTP 26 special?
"The main thing is the community - there are so many community-driven improvements and additions to OOTP 26 this year. Our fans really love the nuance we deliver, based on their feedback, which establishes a connection between our team and our fans that I don’t think exists for any other kind of game!"
What elements were introduced to make the game even more realistic and immersive?
"So many things! Some examples are a new way to start in the Offseason (instead of Opening Day) so you can have a different kind of impact on the start of a franchise, being able to play the World Baseball Classic qualifying tournament, a ton of new, real Alternate jerseys and City Connect jerseys (which fans LOVE), updated internal ratings scales for the dozens of player attributes, greatly improved fan interest and fan loyalty logic based on modern traits, and updated player creation and development reflecting modern approaches to that process. And that’s just scratching the surface!"
How important is the addition of The Road To The World Baseball Classic?
"It’s huge, and is a great example of community-driven improvements and additions. Our fans have wanted the World Baseball Classic in the game ever since its first iteration years ago, so this is truly a “gift” that we can give them thanks to our amazing partners at Major League Baseball."
What are the main improvements made to the Player Development Lab feature?
"A lot of it is nuanced, including more areas to focus on and improve each player, which, again, comes straight from the fans. They loved the first version of it last year and gave us tons of great ideas to make it better this season, which we did!"
How big of an impact did the partnership with the National Baseball Hall of Fame have last year?
"It was incredibly impactful, both in allowing actual Hall of Fame artifacts and plaques to be made available for fans to experience directly, as well as the rights to have a lot of actual Hall of Fame players be in Perfect Team with photographs and their Hall of Fame plaques.
"Our fans always tell us how much they love licensed players in Perfect Team, and we love to deliver them! And, we’re just getting started with this partnership. So much more will come over the years!"
Are there new ways in which players will be able to experience the partnership with the National Baseball Hall of Fame?
"For sure, but they are still in development, so we will be announcing them later this year!"
How do you expect this partnership to impact OOTP 26 and future OOTP titles?
"I can’t give away any details yet, but I can say that Com2uS really liked what Out of the Park Baseball and the Hall of Fame collaborated to do last year."
What are the biggest changes and improvements OOTP 26 introduces to the franchise?
"The areas where we spent the most amount of time centered around a massive upgrade to Player Development Lab (including reworked lab UI, better progress indicators, success cutoff points, midterm lab updates on players, the ability to adjust development difficulty, and reworking the defensive programs, among other things), big updates to the MLB Draft (including a new Draft Central location that people love, a new Draft Pipeline screen with tons of info, and a new Draft Combine to focus on specific players of interest, for starters), and big-time Scouting upgrades (including redesigned looks at players, adjusted “Ability vs Tools” approaches for your scouts, all-new development “risk”, and updated vision into personality traits). All of these came straight from the community, which is why we know our fans will love them!"
Drive for the Pennant now allows players to experience different baseball eras. Is it safe to say this new feature revolutionizes the mode? If so, why?
"It certainly is a big deal, and a whole new way for fans to experience the incredible OOTP franchise mode in a way that really eases them in and brings them along.
"We’ve had countless fans say “this is awesome” because they can still feel like they’re in charge of their entire organization, but by just making key decisions and important moments during a season instead of every decision at every moment, it really adds a new wrinkle to the game like few other things have."
What are the OOTP 26 goals?
"Delight our fans! If we succeed in that, everything else falls into place. Our fans are everything to us, and if they love the game, we’ll be fine."
What steps did you take to make the game even more new-player friendly?
"The Drive For The Pennant mode was the biggest, because it really brings you into this in-depth franchise mode in a 'guided tour like a boss' mode where you make a series of key decisions, but you’ve delegated a lot of the other ones.
"It’s absolutely designed for two types of players, brand-new ones who aren’t quite ready for the “full-fledged” in-depth franchise experience, as well as long-time players who are looking for a new way to have fun with the game. So far, it seems to have worked!"
How hard is OOTP 26 for someone who has never played a baseball game before?
"If you know baseball, it’s not hard to play. The hardest part is really figuring out WHAT to play, because you can do so many things. Play the brand new season, play any season in the past, create a fantasy league from scratch featuring the entire history of the game, play a tournament of historical or current teams, tour the Hall of Fame, or jump into Perfect Team, which is its OWN huge sandbox of leagues, tournaments, and drafts. There’s so much to do, and a lot of them are really easy to jump into and try!"
What are some tips you would give new players?
"First off, don’t worry if you don’t know what you’re doing! Jump in, try things and have fun, and once you think you know what you’re doing, start something new!
"You can have a near-infinite number of saves, so you can mess up all you want and then try it again. Real-world baseball GMs wish they could be so lucky!"
Is there anything you want to say to the OOTP fan base?
"Thank you! Without the fans, we have nothing, and with the fans, we have everything. We do not take it for granted that we get to make Out of the Park Baseball every year, and we only do so because the fans show up and support us every season. We love them!"
I hope this interview was insightful, answered all the questions you had about OOTP 26 and the future of the OOTP franchise, and was an entertaining read.
I also want to thank Rich Grisham for taking the time to answer these questions.
If you are looking for a baseball simulation game or just a new sports game, make sure to give OOTP 26 a try.