PSA: Don't switch platforms if you plan to link, and care about progress in older games.
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TL;DR: If you have no plan to switch platforms from year to year, or link platforms, no worries. Ignore this post. If you plan to use a different platform this year (Playstation, Xbox, Switch), you plan to link accounts, and you care about progress in your old games, then read on.
The Show has been on multiple platforms for a few years now, so many of you are probably familiar with the linking process. When linking accounts, one of the three platforms is designated as the primary account, while the other platforms continue as secondary accounts. The secondary accounts will look to the primary account to see what cards and stubs you have access to, and any cards and stubs you would have had on secondary accounts prior to the link are "hidden" in the background unless you eventually unlink. Nothing is ever deleted or lost.
Okay, now that I got all that out of the way...here is my issue with the process. Once you have selected a platform (Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox) to be the primary, that continues through multiple versions of the game (21 vs. 22 vs. 23). For those of you who never return to older titles to revisit your teams, you have no worries and you can go about your day. Nothing to see here. For those of you who like to hop on to older games every once in a while, this can be a headache.
I bought the digital deluxe version of 21 on Playstation, and eventually linked to Xbox since I also had Game Pass. Playstation was obviously the primary since I had a head start with packs and stubs on that platform. The feature and multiple platforms were new, but after a few initial hiccups it worked perfectly. I played on both consoles often, got every player card in the game, and I had fun doing it.
Then 22 was announced to come out on Switch. I knew going in that it would probably run poorly, but I also knew that I would be able to play on my Series X through Game Pass again. For me, it was worth giving Switch a shot for when I travel so I purchased the digital deluxe on Switch. In order to have my Switch content show on Xbox, I had to make Nintendo the primary. Unfortunately, SDS did not think ahead and your primary platform continues from year to year. If I wanted my Switch content for 22 to appear on Xbox, that meant I "lost" all of my progress for DD on Playstation within 21 since all three were linked. This happened even though there was no Switch content for the Playstation to look to for 21. The only solution was to unlink the Playstation and remove it from the equation. That worked well enough since I could still play 21 on the PS5, and I had the Series X as a quality option for 22. However, I knew this would be an issue for people going forward, and they would only find out AFTER making the purchase for a new platform.
Before I figured out that I could just unlink the Playstation account from the other two in order to restore my 21 progress, I spoke to 3 different reps from SDS via support tickets. I received a lot of canned responses along with answers that proved they had no idea what I was even talking about, and they had no ability to fix it.
Now 23 is on the horizon and I have no intention of playing on MLB on Switch ever again. If you enjoy playing on Switch, I'm glad you do, but the quality just isn't there for me. I plan on going back to digital deluxe on PS5 since I would then be able to play on 3 separate consoles (PS5, PS4, Series X) and would receive early access plus pre-order bonuses.
Pros: I will regain access to my 21 content on both PS5 and Xbox (I have since bought a cheap copy of 21 on Xbox for posterity), and 23 should theoretically link PS and Xbox seamlessly.
Cons: My content for 22 will now be stuck on Switch and I won't be able to play it on other consoles...which means I'll probably never play it again. Farewell RF Johnson and friends.
I doubt anyone from SDS will actually read this, understand what I'm talking about, and care enough to fix this issue for future games...but it sure would be nice. With three different platforms now, you really should be able to pick the primary on the game by game basis. I know the average person probably doesn't go back to older games once the new version is out, but...
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The simple solution is to always have the primary as your PS account. This way you can hop on older titles without a hassle. It may be too late for 22 content, but moving forward, don’t change primary accounts. It doesn’t matter which console you play on most. Keep the primary as your PS and the headache will go away.
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@Blind_Bleeder said in PSA: Don't switch platforms if you plan to link, and care about progress in older games.:
The simple solution is to always have the primary as your PS account. This way you can hop on older titles without a hassle. It may be too late for 22 content, but moving forward, don’t change primary accounts. It doesn’t matter which console you play on most. Keep the primary as your PS and the headache will go away.
That's not really a solution, it's just avoiding a design flaw. It's also what I suggested in the title since I doubt anyone at SDS thought to fix it this year. That doesn't change the fact that it is a problem which SDS should be able to fix if they understand that it is a problem, and they care to do so.
Think about all the quality of life changes that have been made over the years that never would have come about if players on this very forum hadn't brought them up. Being able to save multiple lineups, being able to complete missions offline (cue MLB 17 Griffey dashboard flashbacks), event lineups remaining between runs, BR mission players actually having a round so you can pick them, conquest simulation times being sped up, etc. Even some of the bigger additions like mini seasons and create a stadium were brought up on here in one form or another prior to being added to the game.
