MLB RIVALS

With 2025 behind us and 2026 now underway, we’d like to take a moment to thank you for being part of the MLB RIVALS journey.

From the excitement of Opening Day to the heated summer competition and the drama-filled Postseason, the 2025 season has come to an unforgettable end.

As we head into the 2026 season, our team remains fully committed to delivering an even more polished and engaging baseball experience.

We will share a separate preview covering upcoming updates in the near future.

Today’s Dev Note focuses on the key features and improvements scheduled to be introduced leading up to the 2026 season opener and through April.

[Planned Updates for January–April 2026]

■ Position Training Event (January)

- A brand-new Position Training Event is scheduled for January, which supports Position Training development by completing missions.

- At each milestone, you’ll unlock benefits such as guaranteed main material registration, guaranteed +3 stat boosts, and guaranteed Gold Tier Skills.

■ Special Workshop (January)

- A Special Workshop will be added, where you can craft valuable items such as high OVR Upgrade Cards.

- New advanced items that support development will continue to be added to the Special Workshop over time.

- Access to this content will require certain conditions, such as reaching a specific Team Level.

■ Locker Room Level System (January)

- Using content like Emote Craft in the Locker Room will grant Locker Room Points, which accumulate to increase your Locker Room Level.

- As the Locker Room Level increases, it will boost the stats of batters and pitchers in your Lineup.

- Locker Room Points and Level are tied to your Preferred Team.

* While Locker Room bonuses apply to all players in your Lineup, their stat boosts are relatively low compared to the required materials. We recommend approaching it as a long-term goal.

■ Pitching Leader System (January)

- A new Pitching Leader system will be added, similar to the existing Clubhouse Leader system that increases a selected player's stats.

- You’ll be able to select one pitcher from your Preferred Team as a Pitching Leader. Just like the Clubhouse Leader, Pitching Leader progress will be maintained even if you change the leader (tied to your Preferred Team).

- Developing a Pitching Leader will require a large number of pitcher cards from your Preferred Team, including S-grade cards.

- As with the existing Clubhouse Leader, this may be a lower-priority growth system, but is designed to help you make better use of Preferred Team player cards.

- A player set as your Clubhouse Leader cannot be selected as a Pitching Leader at the same time.

■ HOF Card Exchange System (March or April)

- A new HOF Card Exchange system will be introduced to make better use of unused HOF Cards by exchanging them for other HOF Cards.

- Both the card to be consumed and the card to be obtained can be selected from a provided list. Additional materials may be required for the exchange.

- Most growth progress will carry over during the exchange, and it is possible to exchange between batters and pitchers.

* If exchanging between batters and pitchers, incompatible growth stats such as Training attributes or unlocked Potential slots will be reset.

* This feature will be available only once per account.

■ Newcomer-Exclusive Ranked Slugger Channel (April)

- A new Ranked Slugger channel exclusively for newcomers will be added, similar to the Amateur Channel in Live Match.

- Entry will be restricted by Team Level and maximum player stat limits, with lower difficulty settings to help new users enjoy the game and adjust more easily.

■ ABS Challenge System and Related In-Game Updates (March)

- The ABS (Automated Ball-Strike) Challenge system, set to debut in the 2026 MLB season, will be implemented in MLB RIVALS for the first time.

- Each game will grant two automatic challenges, triggered during close calls (rules for deducted attempts and extra innings will also apply).

* The ABS Challenge will function only as a visual presentation and won’t affect gameplay. Manual challenge input will not be required.

* The current strike zone UI will be adjusted to reflect these changes. The visible strike zone will appear slightly smaller, and any pitch that clips the edge of the zone will be judged as a strike. (This is a display change only; the actual strike zone will remain the same.)

- Replays will be added to show challenge results, providing a more immersive experience.

- Additionally, strike zone height will now realistically vary based on player height.

■ Balance Adjustments (March)

- Balance adjustments will be made to increase the viability of Live Cards.

- Buffs received through the Rival Link system will be adjusted to vary based on the card’s rarity.

■ Batting Practice Event (March or April)

- A new Batting Practice Event will be introduced, especially helpful for newcomers.

- Select one pitch type from a pitcher’s repertoire and play in a Ranked Slugger-style format to earn various rewards.

- Use earned Batting Practice Tokens for batter Training progress, Training Boosts, or Training Reallocation.

■ Regular Season Support System (March)

- To commemorate the start of the 2026 regular season, a new system will be added to cheer on your favorite team and players.

- Support your favorite team daily to earn participation rewards and receive cumulative victory rewards based on the number of team wins.

- You’ll also be able to support your favorite player and receive their Special Card at the end of the season.

- Item rewards will be given at different milestones based on the player’s real-life performance.

- If your supported player continues to perform well, their level will increase.

- The higher the player’s level, the higher the rarity of the Special Card at the end of the season.

- More details on changing supported teams/players and reward distribution will be shared at a later date.

■ Player Acquisition Event Renewal (March)

- The Player Acquisition Events will be renewed to better support your early lineup building and long-term team growth.

- A new 2026 Highlight FA Player Acquisition Event will begin.

- A new HOF Player Acquisition Event will also begin.

■ HOF Card & Signature Black Card Growth Support Events (Ongoing)

- Separate growth support events for HOF and Signature Black Cards will continue to be added.

- Each event will be tailored based on card rarity to better assist with overall team development.

■ Additional Events and Improvements (January–April)

- The early onboarding experience will be further improved to help newcomers settle into the game more smoothly. (Starting in January and continuing)

- A notification system will be added to inform users when mission progress is low compared to their Team Level, or when rewards are left unclaimed.(Continuing After April)

- To prevent unintended lineup imbalances for lower-level teams, a new system will automatically sync other lineups when changes are made to one. (March or April)

- Senior Mission 8 will be added to support lineup development for higher-level users. (January)

- The UI/UX for the Ranked Slugger World Championship event rewards and player selection filters will be improved. (January)

- Filters and search functionality by player name will be added to help users find players more easily in each player pack. (February)

- A toggle option will be added for HOF Recruit Position Material Registration alerts. This will automatically show players of higher rarity than required. (February)

- The number of innings played in the Live Match Amateur Channel will be reduced from 3 to 2 to allow for quicker gameplay. (February)

* The Master Channel will remain at 3 innings to preserve competitive balance.

* The Team-based Ranked Tournament has been postponed due to the prioritization of other content. Further details will be shared once its release is confirmed.

That wraps up today’s Dev Note. Please note that some details and update schedules may change as development progresses.

In addition to the topics covered above, we’re preparing many more improvements. Features that progress quickly will be delivered through live or build updates as soon as possible.

Thank you.

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