Sony has stated that the decision to release MLB The Show 21 on Xbox Game Pass was the decision of Major League Baseball, not either platform holder.
In a statement provided to Inverse, Sony said that "as part of the goal for this year's game, MLB decided to bring the franchise to more players and baseball fans. This decision provides a unique opportunity to further establish MLB The Show as the premier brand for baseball video games."
Until relatively recently, the MLB The Show games were Sony exclusives, but that is changing with this latest entry, as MLB announced that the series would begin to arrive on new platforms as part of a new licensing deal. MLB The Show 21 is the first to launch on Microsoft's console, coming to the Xbox Series X as well as the PS5 and last-gen consoles. Last week, it was revealed that not only would MLB The Show be coming to Xbox, but it would also launch day one on Xbox Game Pass.
It's a smart move from MLB - launching on Game Pass means that 18 million subscribers will now have access to the series at no additional cost. It'll likely be a while before we get to see the full impact of the decision, but this seems like a good start to the series' new multi-platform approach.
For platform exclusives, check out our list of upcoming PS5 games.
