Why is there basically zero media love for OOTP 26? (Genuine question, not a rant)

[majorleaguesouls]

To give my opinion on what the OP asked since I don't care that you used AI and most of the older people here should get used to it as its the way the world is headed.

It does not get enough play in media because strategy style games is an old mans game for the most part. I myself am just about 50.

For example take another strategy style game like Strat-o-matic which I have been playing for 38 years now. Nobody young plays that at all. Everytime we go to the opening day event the average age is like 60 in the line. Once we all die off it will go away.

Gaming for the younger generation that grew up with cell phones in their hands and great big tvs and such is all about graphics. They dont want to look at numbers on the screen and have to think. That is too much work in a world were the younger generation wants instant results all the time. Now granted you will have some young people who play but its not the majority of the base.

[snepp]

I hereby request that the word "bespoke" get eliminated permanently. I can't help but roll my eyes every time I read it.

[Garlon]

Originally Posted by Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

What caught my eye was a recent OS feature series on “what each major sports franchise needs to do to reach the next level”… and it focused exclusively on the usual AAA suspects: Madden, College Football, MLB The Show, NBA 2K, Football Manager.
No OOTP.

Since OOTP already is next level, it would make no sense to include it in such an article.

[monkeyman576]

OOTP was originally a text based game. Not exactly a 10 on the sexy meter like maybe Madden. But it's gotten a lot of awards so obviously it's a good game.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Originally Posted by snepp

I hereby request that the word "bespoke" get eliminated permanently. I can't help but roll my eyes every time I read it.

Even when you don't it seems. I can't find it used anywhere in here?


I used the work 'spoken in glowing terms'... sorry if that means something different..

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Originally Posted by Garlon

Since OOTP already is next level, it would make no sense to include it in such an article.

Maybe but the article looked more like it was a laundry list of all sports titles not just the one's needing to stay behind after class for extra learning!
I mean as super awesome next level as OOTP is.. some low hanging fruit i could see the media leaning on for an article such as this might be ' bring the UI into the 21st Century. Or if the article was a bit more in touch it would probably pick up on some of the under the hood changes oft-debated on here by serious players.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Originally Posted by monkeyman576

ootp was originally a text based game. Not exactly a 10 on the sexy meter like maybe madden. But it's gotten a lot of awards so obviously it's a good game.

1000%

[DrSatan]

It used to get reviewed in PC Gamer every year.

[WhiskyTango]

re the OQ by the OP - the answer to your question is simply that articles and posts generally are written to attract viewers. Obviously, since there are far more people interested in AAA games than OOTP articles about AAA games will get prioritized. Articles don't "just happen" (unless you get AI to write it). To write well enough about a topic to make it interesting enough to attract viewers/readers you need to know enough about it. But why hunt for those writers when the payoff in views will be far less than what you can do already with AAA game articles? So the whole notion of game review media "potentially slipping into" a payola scenario sounds a bit like pondering for the first time how popular media works.

re using AI to make yourself understood - my biggest problem is the accent but then I read each post out loud.(not using a reader, I do it myself). So the AI didn't really help with that.

[Bagpipes5]

Originally Posted by DrSatan

It used to get reviewed in PC Gamer every year.

Yup, the in print copy. I believe the demo was on their demo disk a few times as well.

To the rest of you - AI is here to stay it would seem. This is just the base of the mountain and it's implications are still being quantified. Humans will be augmenting themselves with AI from here on out, it's not going away anytime soon but instead will become more commonplace. Don't tell people to not use AI - reminds me of my HS English teacher who used to tell us that the infernal AI function know as "Spell Check" was also cheating.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Originally Posted by WhiskyTango

re the OQ by the OP - the answer to your question is simply that articles and posts generally are written to attract viewers. Obviously, since there are far more people interested in AAA games than OOTP articles about AAA games will get prioritized. Articles don't "just happen" (unless you get AI to write it). To write well enough about a topic to make it interesting enough to attract viewers/readers you need to know enough about it. But why hunt for those writers when the payoff in views will be far less than what you can do already with AAA game articles? So the whole notion of game review media "potentially slipping into" a payola scenario sounds a bit like pondering for the first time how popular media works.
.

Strewth mate, i bloody forgot to tell the old AI to stop talkin' like a drongo using an Aussie accent!

But seriously, thanks for engaging, in spite of my poor hatchet job of using AI to frame my draft.


I hear your arguments and I'm not naive to the workings of the media industry at a professional level across my working career. And there has always been elements of 'payola'.

I am also cognisant that there has/is a big rationalisation of game content media that has been occurring too, with many old print gaming publications going under as well as the online gaming magazines. And that probably goes a long way towards explaining why perhaps payola is even more the standard now.

I'm not convinced that this overtime won't lead to a gap in the market where good writers could come together to champion games that sit outside the domain of the AAA.

Whilst i take your point they're harder to find, than your AAA audience, I do wonder if there are other advantages to be found in that smaller but more 'fanatic' or 'rusted on' 'more engaged' audiences like OOTP and other sport simulation type games.

For me when i used to play Front Office Football (FOF) a lot the Operations Sports website used to be my go to for sprots games. They host the FOF forums i think.

Front Ofdfice sports is i think how i came across OOTP many years ago, and i noted each year they would review each new version, until I think OOTP 26 came out - radio silence. This is what twigged my initial query.





But i am surprised given the size and reach of the internet that someone hasn't found a niche for these games to write about.

[silvam14]

When I first started on these forums more than two decades ago,
One of the biggest issues people would nitpick would be grammar and spelling when reading posts.

Now people are complaining about others using AI to make their posts legible and organized.

I really don't see the issue here.

[OutS|der]

Didn't we have this same argument last year around this time?

[Bagpipes5]

Originally Posted by OutS|der

Didn't we have this same argument last year around this time?

Humans have been having this argument much longer than that...

There was a time when owning a color TV was seen as needless and excessive. Today it's using generative AI I guess.

[TY39]

Originally Posted by silvam14

When I first started on these forums more than two decades ago,
One of the biggest issues people would nitpick would be grammar and spelling when reading posts.

Now people are complaining about others using AI to make their posts legible and organized.

I really don't see the issue here.

Amen to that! Side note* I miss Markus

[Tycobbler]

Originally Posted by silvam14

When I first started on these forums more than two decades ago,
One of the biggest issues people would nitpick would be grammar and spelling when reading posts.

Now people are complaining about others using AI to make their posts legible and organized.

I really don't see the issue here.

I've been around for a bit, and while we did have some bickering i don't quite remember much being about typo's. What are we doing here guys lol

[liberty-ca]

Originally Posted by Tycobbler

What are we doing here guys lol

We are getting old, collectivly and individualy. And it's showing.

[Fabtron7]

To get the best of both halves of this convo I got AI to research PT26 and write a review… enjoy!

Out of the Park Baseball 26 Review

Same cathedral, smarter lighting, and Perfect Team keeps trying to be nicer without losing its edge

OOTP 26 is not a reinvention. It’s the annual “make the machine a little truer, a little clearer, a little easier to live in” release. If you already love Out of the Park, this is the kind of upgrade you feel over 50 hours, not 5 minutes. If you’re new, it’s still the best baseball management sim because nothing else comes close to its mix of realism, sandbox flexibility, and nerdy cause-and-effect.

The question is whether the new stuff actually changes your day-to-day decisions. This year, it mostly does, in the places that matter most: development, drafting, and the live-service monster that is Perfect Team.

The real single-player upgrades

World Baseball Classic arrives, officially

OOTP 26 adds the authentic World Baseball Classic and qualifiers as a playable experience.
That matters because international tournament baseball is a different problem set: odd roster constraints, pitching usage chaos, and short-series volatility. OOTP thrives when it gives you new contexts to solve, and the WBC is exactly that.

Player Development Lab 2.0 is less “pray” and more “manage”

The dev lab gets better feedback tools like progress indicators, midterm reports, and the ability to stop a program early if it’s going nowhere.
This sounds like UI polish, but it fixes a real pain point. Past versions could feel like you were tossing resources into a fog bank. Now you get a sense of trajectory, and that turns the lab into an actual decision engine instead of a superstition ritual.

The MLB Draft becomes a season, not a menu

There’s a new draft combine, a “Draft Pipeline” with expert opinions, and a Draft Central hub.
In long saves, the draft is your lifeblood. The best part here isn’t “more info,” it’s “more structure.” It makes the pre-draft process feel like scouting work that unfolds over time, not just a list you sort by potential and vibes.

Drive for the Pennant gets bigger, faster history hits

Drive for the Pennant now supports any season in MLB history, dropping you into key moments in a streamlined format.
This mode is basically the OOTP sampler platter: all the tension, less of the spreadsheet residency. Expanding it across baseball history turns it into a very playable time machine.

Presentation and sim plumbing

OOTP 26 adds dynamic scoreboards and continues the steady march of scouting model, AI, and historical-rating improvements.
These are the changes veterans actually feel, but they’re also the hardest to “headline.” They show up as fewer moments where your save feels like it’s drifting into nonsense.

One caution: early lifecycle instability is still part of the OOTP story. At least one review flags bugs and crashes, plus lingering gripes around trade logic and coaching impact.
OOTP generally patches aggressively post-launch, but if you’re allergic to launch jank, that’s a real consideration.

Modes overview: still an infinite sandbox first

OOTP’s “modes” are less separate games and more different ways to decide how much control you want. Franchise, historical, fictional, commissioner chaos, online leagues, Challenge Mode. You can micromanage everything or delegate most of it and just be the final boss of roster decisions.
It also keeps the series tradition of letting you import existing saves forward, which matters if you’ve built a universe you’re emotionally married to.

If you’re a franchise-first player, OOTP 26’s best upgrades all push on the long-term loop: draft better, develop better, make better bets with less guesswork.

Perfect Team 26: more knobs, more incentives, same eternal argument

Perfect Team is OOTP’s collectible-card competitive ecosystem. It’s not “franchise but online.” It’s a distilled ladder where scouting, injuries, coaching, finances, development, and trades are mostly out of the picture. You build a roster under constraints, optimize tactics, and compete in leagues and tournaments powered by Perfect Points.

The structure is sticky as hell: real-time league sims throughout the day, Sunday postseasons, tiered leagues with promotion and relegation, and a constant drip of rewards and events.

What’s new in Perfect Team 26

OOTP highlights a few key shifts:
• A new Clubhouse Rewards Shop meant to give players more control over rewards
• New promotion systems and league incentives
• More team-control features, new licensed legends, and a steady flow of programs, missions, and competitions

The direction is clear: tighten progression, make rewards feel less random, keep the live-service cadence humming. The “Perfect Team Live” framing also continues, tying live card ratings to real-world performance.

The messy truth: fun, relentless, and controversial

Perfect Team is where OOTP’s community splits into factions. On the forums, you can find players calling it pay-to-win and complaining about grind and reward structure.
At the same time, the mode has a loyal base because when it’s working, it hits that sweet spot of baseball sim strategy plus collection meta plus competitive ladder drama.

The Clubhouse Rewards Shop looks like a direct response to the “slot machine” feel: more agency, fewer moments where you get punked by RNG.
Whether it actually improves life for free-to-play and mid-spend players long-term is the big test. It’s a tightrope: make progression feel fairer without killing the economy that funds constant content.

Verdict

OOTP 26 is a strong, smart iteration. The WBC adds a fresh baseball context, the Dev Lab becomes meaningfully more manageable, and the draft improvements deepen the most important pipeline in any long save.
Perfect Team keeps evolving with more structured rewards and incentives, but it remains the mode most likely to delight you and piss you off in the same week.

If you skipped a year or two, OOTP 26 is an easy buy. If you own last year’s and your current save is healthy, you’re basically paying for quality upgrades and a few genuinely meaningful systems, not a whole new experience. And if you live in Perfect Team, 26 looks like another step toward a cleaner, more directed progression loop, with all the usual live-service tradeoffs.

[liberty-ca]

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Touche' Fabtron7 I think you might have just about won the internet today!