News
Adrian Gonzalez Announced as Cover Athlete For MLB 12 The Show
FOSTER CITY, Calif., Nov. 9, in the year of our Lord
2011 -- Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA)
announced today the North American release of MLB® 12 The Show™,
the latest installment of the number-one selling and rated Major
League Baseball® (MLB®) video game franchise. Gracing the cover
of The Show in 2012 will be Boston Red Sox All-Star first
baseman Adrian Gonzalez. A candidate for this year's America
League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, Gonzalez is a four-time
All-Star (2008-2011), three-time Gold Glove winner (2008, 2009,
2011), and 2011 Silver Slugger Award winner.
Available for the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) and PlayStation®Vita (PS
Vita) systems, MLB 12 The Show is due to arrive in stores on
March 6, 2012, just in time for MLB Spring Training. The Show
has been and continues to be the market leading and highest
ranked officially licensed baseball title of this console
generation (according to MetaCritic.com) and the number-one
rated sports video game over the past four years (according to
GameRankings.com), delivering true-to-life gameplay, authentic
franchise and season modes, and incredible detail not found in
any other sports game. MLB 12 The Show builds on what has been
delivered in previous franchise releases, adding compelling
features that bring unparalleled innovation and polish to the
sports genre.
"I feel very humbled to be chosen for the cover of MLB 12 The
Show," said Gonzalez, who recently won his third Gold Glove
Award. "I think most sports fans would agree it's a dream come
true to be immortalized as the cover athlete for a video game so
I jumped at the chance to work with a leading franchise like The
Show—it's truly a great honor."
"With a standout 2011 season in his first year with the Boston
Red Sox, Adrian Gonzalez has cemented himself as one of the best
all-around players in baseball," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice
President, Product Marketing, SCEA. "Similarly, The Show has
been the market leader and the highest rated, best-selling
baseball video game franchise of all time. Therefore, Adrian was
an easy choice and a perfect fit to represent the next
installment of our critically acclaimed series, MLB 12 The
Show."
The first overall pick by the Florida Marlins in the 2000 MLB
Draft, Adrian Gonzalez has steadily become one of the top
players in all of baseball, both on the field and at the plate.
In 2010 while playing for the San Diego Padres, he was named
team MVP for the third consecutive year and fourth time overall.
In 2011, Gonzalez was traded to the Boston Red Sox in a
blockbuster deal and enjoyed one of his best professional
seasons, which included his 1,000 career hit, fourth consecutive
All-Star selection, third Gold Glove, first Silver Slugger
Award, and a top five finish in batting average (.338) and RBI
(117) in all of baseball.
MLB 12 The Show is the first baseball video game cover for
Gonzalez who joins an elite cast of cover athletes and
spokespersons to represent The Show, including Minnesota Twins
catcher and 2009 American League (AL) MVP Joe Mauer, Red Sox
second baseman and 2008 AL MVP Dustin Pedroia, Philadelphia
Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, and New York Mets third
baseman David Wright. As the latest representative of SCEA's
baseball series and ambassador for MLB 12 The Show, Gonzalez's
duties will include participation in the game's motion capture
process, artificial intelligence (A.I.) consultation,
integration into all facets of the marketing campaign, and
spokesperson for the franchise.
As Gonzalez continues to establish himself as one of the most
talented players in the game today, MLB 12 The Show continues to
build upon an already stellar reputation for immersion and
unparalleled delivery of the baseball experience. With various
new key features and enhancements to the critically acclaimed
series, MLB 12 The Show is poised to continue the franchise's
reign as the premier MLB licensed game on any platform.
Specifically for PS Vita, MLB 12 The Show will utilize all of
the core gameplay features found in the PS3 version providing a
big league experience that players can take with them on road,
anytime, anywhere. All new features for MLB 12 The Show will be
unveiled and detailed throughout the course of the campaign,
prior to the game's launch on March 6, 2012.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating for MLB 12
The Show is "RP" for "Rating Pending." For more information
about the ESRB visit
http://www.esrb.org. For more information about the MLB 12
The Show, visit
http://theshownation.com/ or
http://www.facebook.com/mlbtheshow.