Microsoft has surprised everyone today by announcing that MLB The Show 21 will be released for Xbox Game Pass subscribers on the same day as the PlayStation and Xbox versions.

Sony's first-party San Diego Studio has been developing Major League Baseball games since 2006, and the games remained exclusive to PlayStation hardware right up until last year's MLB The Show 2020. However, a new deal signed with MLB in late 2019 not only guaranteed multi-year releases going forward, but also included non-Sony platforms.

What nobody expected was that Microsoft could or would release the game on day one for Xbox Game Pass, ensuring anyone who pays the $14.99 monthly subscription gets the game to play on launch day. It means MLB The Show 21 will release on April 20 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Game Pass subscribers. If that wasn't enough, Microsoft is also allowing the game to be played on Android phones and tablets via Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) if you are an Ultimate member.

Jamie Leece, MLB Senior Vice President, Games & VR, said "As we said from the beginning, this is an incredible moment for all of us and bringing the franchise to more players and baseball fans is something that we at MLB, MLB Players, Inc., and Xbox are all excited about. We can’t wait for Xbox fans to experience the fastest, deepest, and most intense moment-to-moment baseball action yet. With pinpoint pitching, brand new fielding mechanics, and gameplay styles, Xbox gamers are in for a treat when MLB The Show 21 launches on April 20."

The simultaneous launch highlights the advantage Xbox Game Pass offers Microsoft over Sony when it comes to brand new, full-price games. You'll need to buy the game on PS4 or PS5, where as if you're already subscribing to Game Pass it's effectively free. However, Microsoft isn't receiving the per copy cash it would from a normal release and is instead betting on quickly growing Game Pass subscribers to make this approach profitable.