MLB 9INNINGS RIVALS 26

Greetings from Com2uS!

A few weeks have already passed since the 2026 World Baseball Classic came to a close, drawing the massive attention of baseball fans around the world. 

The high level of passion and fierce competition displayed by players representing their countries once again reminded us of baseball's excitement and appeal.

And now, that excitement naturally carried over into the start of the MLB Regular Season, marking the beginning of this year's long journey. 

As each team and player begins competing for the top in a brand-new season, the MLB 9 INNINGS RIVALS 26 team is also continuing its preparations to deliver an even more enjoyable baseball experience for all users.

In this Dev Note, we'd like to share a preview of the major updates we're preparing to introduce in the first half of 2026.

[Additional Planned Updates for the First Half of 2026]

■ Growth Extraction System

- This feature will allow you to recover a certain portion of the materials previously invested into player cards you no longer use, including materials used for Limit Break, Special Training, Transcendence, and Skill Changes, so they can be reused to develop other player cards.

- Moment Cards, Signature Cards, and FA Signature Cards will be supported first, and usage will be limited to once per account for each rarity.

- For Limit Break and Special Training, 100% of the EXP invested will be refunded as the corresponding EXP card items.

- For Transcendence, 35% of the invested value will be converted into EXP and refunded as position-specific Transcendence EXP card items for that rarity.

- For Skill Changes, regardless of the amount of materials used, 10 Skill Level Protection Tickets will be given for each S-level Skill currently held by the player card.

- We hope this system will help you quickly develop a newly acquired higher-rarity card that can replace one you were previously using.

※ When performing Growth Extraction, the player card will be deleted, and Points and Development Transfer Tickets will be consumed.

■ New Ranked Slugger Event

- The core gameplay will be the same as the existing Ranked Slugger mode, but during the event period, the number of Gold Balls and Platinum Balls will increase, giving you more chances to aim for higher scores.

- Specially selected players will receive boosts to various attributes during the event, including stats, Potential, Transcendence, and Launch Angle.

- You'll also be able to earn additional rewards by completing event missions available alongside the event.

■ Selective Reward Event

- By completing various daily missions, you'll be able to choose and claim one of two available rewards.

- We hope this helps users select the rewards they need based on their current lineup and player growth progress.

- In particular, to help newcomers make better choices, we also plan to show selection rates from other users along with tips for each reward.

■ UX Improvements

- In certain separate PvE content, such as Potential Game, Event Game, and Campaign Mode, if the user does not attempt a steal, the opposing AI pitcher will no longer pick off to first during gameplay.

(If a steal attempt is made, pitchers will continue to attempt pickoffs at a certain chance, as they do now.)

* This change will not apply to League Mode, which follows the MLB regular season schedule, or to PvP content played against other users.

- As part of efforts to improve the RBI Battle experience, a dedicated growth system will be added.

> You'll be able to earn EXP through RBI Battle gameplay and level up, and at certain level milestones, the stats of the batter and runner slots used in the mode will increase. (These slot-based stat increases will remain even if you change the players assigned to those slots.)

■ Expanded Transcendence Materials for Signature Cards

- The current system only allows Signature Cards to be used as materials for Signature Card Transcendence. We plan to expand this so that Impact Cards and Prime Cards of the same player, or of the same team and same position, can also be used as materials.

- We hope this gives lower-rarity cards more meaningful uses beyond Limit Break, Special Training, and HOF Recruit materials.

■ New Skill Change Support Event

- A new event will be added to help users with Skill Changes on their player cards.

- This event is being planned in a different format from the existing Skill Change Event, and the supported card rarities eligible for event benefits will also be expanded.

■ Newcomer-Exclusive Ranked Slugger Channel

- A Ranked Slugger channel exclusively for newcomers, previously planned for Q1 2026 but postponed due to priority changes, will be added.

- Entry will be restricted by Team Level and maximum player stat limits. The difficulty will be set lower than the existing channel so that newcomers can enjoy the mode more easily and adapt to the game with greater interest.

■ Other Updates

- For World Baseball Classic Signature Black recruitment, the first material slot currently requires a same-position (FA) Signature Card. This will be improved so users can choose from (FA) Signature Cards of the same team or same position, broadening material options.

- Also, we are exploring ways to provide a better experience regarding World Baseball Classic Player Cards.

- To prevent unintended imbalances between lineups below a certain Team Level, a system will be added that automatically syncs other lineups when one lineup is edited.

- Some conditions and rewards in certain Rookie Mission sections will be slightly improved.

- A detailed player card info page will be added. We are preparing it to provide useful information, especially for newcomers, including the unique features of each card rarity.

- Main Lobby presentation will be improved further.

- A feature will be added to claim only Balls separately from the Inbox.

- Potential growth will be improved so that multiple levels can be progressed at once.

- The Skill UI will be improved. You'll be able to view more detailed explanations for each Skill, and in the Skill Change UI, you'll also be able to check Skill Level increases granted by Position Training Level Bonus effects.

- Signature Black position availability will be expanded for certain positions.

- Player Support: You’ll be able to choose a player regardless of your Preferred Team. We’re preparing this feature so that the fun of supporting your favorite player can also lead to rewards.

- In July, to celebrate the MLB All-Star Game, where the league's top players gather in one place, we are preparing a variety of events and content so users can experience those special moments in MLB 9 INNINGS RIVALS 26 as well.

That wraps up today's Dev Note. Please understand that some details and update schedules may shift slightly as development progresses.

In addition to what we shared above, we are preparing several other updates. For those that move quickly through planning and development, we will aim to deliver them right away through live and build updates.

Thank you.

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