The video game industry is following in the path of other forms of entertainment by normalizing subscription services. What at one time was only Xbox Live or PlayStation Network for the purposes of online play has now expanded to those offering free games and various discounts every month, the fantastic value of EA Access, and the recently announced Xbox Game Pass.

That Xbox-related news, the release of Disc Jam which will be free to PlayStation Plus members, and what it all means for gaming now and in the future is discussed in this episode of the Press Row Podcast. Other segments cover the new MLB Network presentation in MLB The Show 17 and day one impressions of the Nintendo Switch.

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit The Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, Out of the Park Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)
T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@thatsportsgamer)

There has been a resurgence of creative sports game concepts thanks to independent developers over the last few years and the latest to break onto the scene is Disc Jam. Reminiscent of the 90's game Windjammers, and evoking natural comparisons to recent smash hit Rocket League, Disc Jam appears to have a great deal of potential based on reaction to the beta that just came to a close.

This episode of the Press Row Podcast also includes discussion on everything Diamond Dynasty mode for MLB The Show 17 and a big gameplay patch that just released for Madden NFL 17. 

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit The Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@thatsportsgamer)
Chris aka MillenuiumOS, Operation Sports (@millenniumOS)

After more than 20 years a spiritual successor to the cult classic Mutant League Football has finally reached the red zone. Mutant Football League will release later this year on PC and early 2018 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The game is described as an “NFL Blitz arcade-style football game, with nasty mutants, ferocious monsters, deadly chainsaws, and lots of gory player deaths, along with some edgy, satirical humor that parodies America’s favorite sport.”

The creator and lead designer of the original game is back to lead development on the new one. We welcome on Michael Mendheim to the Press Row Podcast to talk about the history of mutant football, the ongoing successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign and lessons learned from one that came up short in 2013, the challenges of designing a game now vs then, and how fans are being engaged in its development and awareness created in an intensely competitive environment.

Check out the Mutant Football League Kickstarter campaign and follow the latest news at the game's website and with Twitter and Facebook.

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit The Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, Out of the Park Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)
Michael Mendheim, Mutant Football League (@mmendheim)

Still in their infancy within the competitive arena there were two major stories for sports video games and their place as eSports this week. EA Sports had to navigate controversy due to the conduct of the Madden Bowl winner on social media, while 2K Sports announced an unprecedented partnership with the NBA to create what will be known as the NBA 2K eLeague.

Also discussed this week are the gameplay improvements that have been detailed for MLB The Show 17, the return of Mutant League Football and its successful Kickstarter campaign, and the decision made for E3 to start admitting the public instead of just industry professionals and press.

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit The Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, Out of the Park Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)
T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@thatsportsgamer)

Electronic Arts' stock is trading at all-time high levels and in looking forward to fiscal year 2018 (April 2017-March 2018) the company revealed a number of interesting facts and plans related to their various sports franchises.

There's the good: FIFA 17 was the world's biggest selling sports game in 2016 and the company continues to see its digital revenue driven largely by Ultimate Team and free-to-play mobile show no signs of slowing down.

There's the bad: NBA Live has now been delayed/cancelled for a fourth time in a seven year span and the original plan of releasing a golf game every other year appears to have been abandoned.

Host Bryan Wiedey and Rich Grisham discuss this news and more, including the confirmation of both Madden NFL 18 transitioning to the Frostbite Engine and FIFA 18 getting a second season of "The Journey" in this episode of the Press Row Podcast!

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit The Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, Out of the Park Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)

With spring training right around the corner baseball is about to be back on the minds of many. It's also the time of year when the changes that the upcoming MLB The Show game will be sold on start to be revealed. The first wave of information just hit with hints at some big new features and improvements for MLB The Show 17. News on everything from gameplay, presentation, and graphics to the big three modes are discussed in this episode of the Press Row Podcast.

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit The Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@thatsportsgamer)
Chris, MillenniumOS (@millenniumOS)

Now into its 8th year, the Pastapadre Community Awards have set out to recognize all the efforts made in sports gaming which go well beyond just that of naming the "Sports Game of the Year." For 2016 the awards expanded to 12 categories and collected over 33,000 votes in the process. Sports video games are complex and rich in content, and no one game excels in every area that make them up. The Community Awards are an opportunity to help identify the standouts from specific aspects of the games and over time the annual process has been shown to identify trends for the individual franchises as well as the industry.

Bryan Wiedey and Rich Grisham reveal the results of the 2016 Pastapadre Community Awards and provide analysis of what the numbers say about the games in the latest episode of the Press Row Podcast. Find out the winners of the 2016 Sports Game of the Year, Best New/Non-Yearly Sports Game, Best Racing Game, Best Mobile Game, Best Gameplay, Best New Feature, Best Post-Release Support, Best Franchise Mode, Best Career/Story Mode, Best Team-Building Mode, Best Presentation, and Best Online Play!

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit The Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, Out of the Park Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)

The highly anticipated home/handheld hybrid Nintendo Switch will release on March 3rd for $300, eventually require a paid subscription for online play, and expanding storage will a be a practical necessity by adding on a separately purchased SDXC memory card. Switch has a dismal launch lineup outside of the new Zelda, while sports games look to be a ways off with FIFA and NBA 2K18 both officially in development but not releasing until later in the year.

Rich Grisham and T.J. Lauerman join host Bryan Wiedey on a new Press Row Podcast in reacting to Nintendo's reveal event. In terms of pricing where does the Switch stand compared to Xbox One and PS4? Should sports games on Switch be unique experiences or offer what are essentially ports from those other systems? Can sports games survive on a Nintendo platform when they rely so heavily on post-release digital revenue?

There's a lot to be intrigued by out of the Nintendo Switch but still many more questions to be answered about its viability particularly as it relates the sports gaming genre.

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit The Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, Out of the Park Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)
T.J. Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer (@thatsportsgamer)

Every year it’s important to look back on developments within the sports gaming genre, not just as a reminder of what has happened, but as insight into the direction individual franchises are going and the trends within the industry that will impact them all. Bryan Wiedey and Rich Grisham discuss some of the most important stories of 2016 in the new year's first episode.

Reference Link: The biggest sports video games stories of 2016 (Sporting News)

On the show this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit The Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, Out of the Park Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)

The College Football Playoff is almost here and, as it so happens, Bryan Wiedey and Rich Grisham both have their teams involved and going head-to-head in the semifinal. The two discuss Washington vs Alabama and NCAA Football 14 simulations of the games before turning to topics such as the Blizzard Mountain expansion for Forza Horizon 3 and a rundown of the annual Pastapadre Community Awards categories and nominees.

Joining us this week:

Bryan Wiedey, Pastapadre/Hit The Pass/Sporting News (@pastapadre)
Rich Grisham, Out of the Park Developments/Hit The Pass (@richgrisham)