Is this the real reason for no online franchise
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Good question. Online franchise is when you choose 1 of 30 MLB teams. Your friends can then choose any team they want. The schedule would reflect the official MLB schedule that is released for the 2026 season just like on regular franchise. Keeping it simple for example, it’s you And 4 of your friends in the online franchise. The other 25 teams will be played and managed by the CPU by default. If I choose the Braves and my friend chooses the O’s, then if those two teams play on the schedule then you must face each other head to head. It’s the same as regular franchise but your friends can physically use their own teams as well and you can all pace through a franchise together and pushing for a playoff run potentially facing in the World Series against each other.
Custom leagues, you don’t have an official MLB schedule. If you only have 5 people total, only 5 teams to play against. They make you face off against only those 5 teams that are being used however many times you set in the league settings. It doesn’t CPU fill the teams that are not being used to make a full 30. So if you want 30 teams you need 30 gamers. Even then you’re required to play every single team 1 to 5 times. It would not be the official MLB schedule that you see in franchise mode.
Somewhat similar, but limited (more reliant on needing 30 gamers) in custom leagues. Less immersive than franchise and when we had online franchise.
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@TRinehart32_PSN Seems like an extremely small niche request.
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I agree with that because it’s being ignored by mainstream, larger competitors.
I don’t think the market for this is as small as we think it is. It’s not super niching. I think because the focus is specific and it used to be in the game, it brings more dedicated customer loyalty. -
@TRinehart32_PSN I just don’t see the need for CPU teams in an online league. Just play a custom league with real players. It doesn’t need to be 162 games and 30 teams.
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@GoozeFn_PSN said in Is this the real reason for no online franchise:
@TRinehart32_PSN I just don’t see the need for CPU teams in an online league. Just play a custom league with real players. It doesn’t need to be 162 games and 30 teams.
And that's the thing - all three of those things can be set by the administrator and people can opt-in to a league that suits them.
I think the option for CPU teams is a great idea - the league members can agree on how many; it's a great way to participate in the league and play meaningful games whilst between games with other members.
Custom Leagues is a great concept because it caters to both card collectors and those wanting a realistic competition with live players.
Well-managed leagues have been very successful and they are the ones calling for leagues to be improved - not for Online Franchise to be back in its previous format but instead for the many bugs that have been around from the beginning (and some introduced since) but also for improvements to the mode such as a draft (that is the ultimate), minors or injuries.
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@Red_Ted_is_back_PSN I don’t have a problem with them doing it. I just don’t think it’s something very many people are clamoring for. I did see a post on X by Scuffy talking about new custom league features that sounded good. Maybe this will be an option.
