MLB RIVALS

It hasn’t been long since we shared Dev Note #21 at the beginning of January, which focused on updates scheduled from January to April 2026.

Today, we’re reaching out again with a new Dev Note to share additional information.

This Dev Note covers key features and content that were not included in Dev Note #21, but are now confirmed and currently in development for release by the end of February.

We hope this helps you better plan your gameplay in the coming weeks.

The World Baseball Classic 2026 is coming to MLB RIVALS!

The WBC 2026 will take place from March 5–17 (local time), where top players from 20 countries around the world will take the field not for their home clubs, but for their home nations.

Though short in duration, it’s a stage filled with once-in-a-lifetime moments that may define a player’s entire career.

To help you relive and cherish those moments, MLB RIVALS will feature a wide array of events and special player cards that capture the spirit of the tournament—highlighting players who proudly wore their national team jerseys and delivered unforgettable performances.

Here’s a preview of what our team is currently preparing:

■ WBC Pick 'em Event

- Predict the outcomes of real-life WBC matchups during the tournament period.

- Earn participation rewards and compete for ranking rewards based on the number of correct predictions.

■ WBC Ranked Slugger World Championship

- This two-week event will let you compete in a home run race against pitchers participating in the WBC.

- Like the standard Ranked Slugger World Championship, rankings will be based on the sum of your top 3 scores.

- You’ll earn various rewards, including game rewards, total play count rewards, and round ranking rewards.

- Players featured in the WBC will receive stat and Potential boosts throughout the event.

■ WBC Event Game

- Face off against Team USA in a special Event Game.

- Earn Event Tokens through gameplay and exchange them for various items in the Event Shop.

■ WBC Event Shop

- A dedicated Event Shop will open for WBC 2026.

- Use your tokens to get items that support team development and gameplay progression.

Further details on the events mentioned above will be shared in separate notices.

■ WBC Cards

- Let’s take a look at the new WBC Cards coming soon.

(Example: Bryce Harper WBC Signature Card – OVR, position, and other details are subject to change.)

[Overview]

- WBC Cards function similarly to existing FA Cards. Regardless of their real-life team, these cards can be used like Preferred Team player cards in your Lineup.

- WBC Cards are classified as Special Cards, just like Prime, Signature, and Signature Black Cards (including FA).

- Each WBC variant shares the same rarity as its corresponding FA version:

WBC Prime = FA Prime

WBC Signature = FA Signature

WBC Signature Black = FA Signature Black

- WBC Cards will initially be released based on the player’s current MLB team.

 

[How to Acquire]

- WBC Prime and WBC Signature Cards can be obtained from the WBC Player Pack.

- You can also acquire them through a new “WBC Call-Up” system, which lets you convert existing Special Cards into WBC Cards. 

- If a player does not already have a Prime or Signature Card, they can only be acquired via the WBC Player Pack.

  Example: PHI Bryce Harper WBC Signature Card can be obtained directly through the WBC Player Pack. Additionally, any Bryce Harper Signature or FA Signature Card—from WSH Bryce Harper '12 to PHI Bryce Harper '24—can be used in the WBC Call-Up to obtain the PHI Bryce Harper WBC Signature Card.

[Growth System]

- WBC Cards follow nearly identical growth systems and costs as their FA counterparts of the same rarity. (WBC Prime matches FA Prime, WBC Signature matches FA Signature, etc.)

- Growth features include:

Max Upgrade Level and required Upgrade materials by OVR

Max Training Level, Training Boost, and Training Reallocation

Transcendence and Transcendence Potential

Special Training Max Level and Special Training Retrain

- WBC Prime Cards can also undergo Rarity Boost to become WBC Signature Cards.

- WBC Signature Cards can be further upgraded to WBC Signature Black Cards through Signature Black recruitment.

[Unique Features]

- WBC Cards offer the following exclusive benefits:

* WBC Cards do not require Limit Breaks to reach max Upgrade Level. Once acquired, they can be upgraded to Lv. 20 immediately.

(If you call up a WBC Card from an already-upgraded Special Card, all Limit Break EXP will be fully refunded as items.

- If the WBC Card’s team matches your Preferred Team, it will benefit from Deck Score and stat buffs.

- When Skills are first assigned or changed, WBC Cards automatically receive Gold Tier and S-Level Skills. (No Skill Level Protection Ticket required.)

- When using Advanced Skill Change or Superior Skill Change Tickets, WBC Cards can acquire exclusive WBC Skills in each slot:

WBC Prime and WBC Signature: up to 3 WBC Skills

WBC Signature Black: up to 4 WBC Skills (* If a WBC Signature Black Card owns a Black Tier Skill, it can acquire up to 3 WBC Skills in the rest of its skill slots.)

- If a WBC Card player records a hit, home run, strikeout, etc. in WBC 2026, their stats may increase based on performance after the tournament ends.

[Additional Details]

- At release, WBC Cards will display their current MLB team’s Special Card photo as a placeholder. After the tournament ends, this will be replaced with a photo from one of their WBC 2026 appearances.

- In terms of Lineup Synergy: Moment Cards will be grouped separately, and WBC and (FA) Signature Cards will be grouped together. The maximum number of usable cards from this group in your Lineup will be counted as a total.

- WBC Signature Black Cards can be acquired separately from the standard Signature Black system. Account-limited and monthly-limited call-ups will be available independently.

- WBC Cards will be added to the Ambassador content system. Register unused WBC Cards as Ambassadors to earn useful rewards like Ultimate Coins and high-OVR Upgrade Card Boxes.

* WBC Cards share nearly identical growth costs with FA Cards. Whether you upgrade your FA Card first and then call up as the WBC Card, or vice versa, there’s no major advantage or disadvantage. (Any Limit Break EXP used before the call-up will be refunded.)

* If you use the WBC Call-Up on a general Special Card (not FA), there may be slight differences in growth cost, such as for Limit Break or Special Training. In this case, Limit Break EXP will be fully refunded, and Special Training EXP will be partially refunded depending on the WBC Card’s required EXP.

Even for the same player, representing their country on the world stage creates moments that carry a different meaning.

We hope these WBC Cards will help you relive those moments in MLB RIVALS—and we’re working hard to bring them to life in the most memorable way possible.

[Additional Planned Updates and Development Direction for the First Half of 2026]

In addition to the content shared in Dev Note #21, we are preparing the following updates for the first half of the year.

■ Skill Change Improvements for Impact and Signature Cards (including FA)

- As users continue to develop their teams by acquiring and developing player cards of various rarities—via Rarity Boost, Development Transfer, and other core features—we want to ensure that no single phase of development becomes a bottleneck.

- To support this, we are working to apply the same “First Skill Slot Lock” system currently available for Prime Cards to Impact and Signature Cards (including FA) as soon as possible.

■ Using Prime and Impact Cards as Transcendence Materials for Signature Cards

- Currently, only Signature Cards can be used as materials when transcending another Signature Card. To improve flexibility, we plan to allow Prime and Impact Cards to be used as materials as well.

- As more users build teams centered around higher-rarity cards, we hope this will give added value to lower-rarity cards that were previously only used as materials for Limit Breaks or Special Training.

■ Development Extraction System

- As users acquire new preferred players and continue developing their lineups, we are planning an additional system—beyond Development Transfer and the Ambassador feature—to allow for the efficient reuse of no-longer-used cards.

- This new system will allow you to extract and refund a portion of the following from a Moment Card, Signature Card, or FA Signature Card: Limit Break Level, Special Training Level, Transcendence Level, Skill Tier, and Skill Level

- This system will be especially useful when replacing a current card with a higher-rarity player.

* Extracted cards will be deleted. Each rarity can only be extracted once per account.

■ Others

- We are also planning an Upgrade system revamp so that higher OVR materials increase the success rate.

- In addition to previously mentioned updates, such as the HOF Card Exchange System and Live Card Adjustments, we’ll continue offering the HOF Player Card Giveaway Event to help newcomers settle in more easily.

(Note: The list of selectable players may change over time.)

This concludes our overview of the upcoming WBC content, WBC Cards, and additional features planned for early 2026.

As always, please note that schedules and content details may change as development progresses.

We’ll continue to share further details—including newly added features and confirmed dates—through Update Previews, Update Notices, and Event Announcements about 1–2 weeks before each build update.

Beyond what’s been outlined today, many other projects are underway.

For features that progress quickly through planning and development, we’ll continue delivering them directly through live and build updates.

Thank you.

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