MLB The Show Server Issues: Detailing the Saga So Far

Feature Article

Submitted on: 04/17/2017 by

The MLB The Show 17 server issues persisted over the weekend, and many are starting to feel like there is no end in sight.

While server issues are a traditional problem with Sony and MLB The Show, last year it seemed like there was a lot of progress made towards a smoother playing experience. Unfortunately this year, it appears the series has indeed suffered a setback with the online play.

Last year, there were some rough days even a couple of weeks after launch as well, but the servers going down at the start of Easter weekend was a real low point (Sony did get them back up on the whole by Saturday). With that in mind, we thought it best to at least summarize the issues that have cropped up during this first month and sort of just encapsulate the whole saga to this point.

A Summary of the Issues

The servers for MLB The Show 17 have been shaky at best from the get-go.

On day one, the original issue was a missing access token for most users, which removed their ability to access online features. From there, gamers have experienced games from all facets of Diamond Dynasty (including Conquest, Battle Royale, and Head to Head Seasons games) going into a processing queue.

When this happens, it holds up stat-based missions for hours or even days -- assuming those stats end up registering at all, which sometimes they do not.

The community itself had a tipping point of sorts on April 4, when the first Event was scheduled. The scheduled start time was 3 p.m. EST. Prior to this, a previous test event’s rules were up and users could join the event with the test restrictions, though their games would not count.

The actual Event came around, but the test event’s rules still applied, which allowed for some players to play with stacked teams versus bronze-only players.

SDS quickly shut down the event and delayed it for 24 hours.

Since that first Event, the servers have gone down at least a couple of times while games continue to enter the processing queue, or are even lost completely.

The Community Reaction

Anger, frustration and exhaustion have marked the community reaction thus far.

Many users have taken to issuing personal attacks via social media at developers (side note: never do this), with some expressing frustration at the lack of clear communication from Sony throughout the first few weeks post-release. At this point, the feedback has continued to spiral downwards, with communication becoming toxic at points.

In other words, instead of constructive communication that could lead to better interaction and possibly even faster troubleshooting of issues, the community has devolved into what is the equivalent of screaming obscenities into a brick wall.

The hit to Sony due to the lack of communication will probably be longer lasting than the server issues by a good measure, and it's going to take a lot of honest and open communication in the future to repair some of the wounds and divides the community and Sony have with one another on this front.

When Will it Be Fixed?

As we exit Easter Weekend, server issues are still continuing for some users.

A new patch has been mentioned, but obviously it will need to to get through testing and certification before it can go out to users. Our own best guess at a best-case scenario for that situation may put a more stable online experience a week or two away. If that is the case, users will have gone a full month without a stable online experience in MLB The Show 17.

That is, of course, a gigantic problem because large portions of the game depend upon online connectivity -- even seemingly "offline" modes like Road to the Show. This has been a problem with other sports games as well, with NBA 2K also a notable source of online headaches in recent years.

Because of this, large portions of the game are at times unplayable for users. With the possibility that this instability could continue, it's hard to justify recommending MLB The Show 17 for a purchase right now. We need to see that the game is fully functional and stable again to more comfortably say the game is safe to pick up -- at least when it comes to recommending it to anyone who has an internet connection.

While the fundamentals of the game are arguably the best they’ve been on the field, the experience as a whole due to the server issues makes the game more frustrating than not as of now.

Member Comments

# 101 MLB14 @ 04/21/17 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335TDC


	Impossible? No, but 99% unlikely to happen. "Less" money in this case probably still means a HELLUVA lot more than they were ever making a few years ago before DD blew up. The revenue paradigm has shifted massively and irrevocably, and they'll be able to ride this out, bad press and all, while the stream keeps flowing, and almost all of us will STILL buy the game next year.

Yea, I just noticed that when DD became popular, their sales shot up from that, which is good. I don't want the game to fail. I want them to continue developing it.

I'm not gonna pretend like I understand how a game company operates it's finances. I'm just sayin' that if they fall below what they projected to make.. It's not good for them.

It doesn't matter how much they make in a year. If they developed the game with a projection of 10 million in mind but only pulled in 6 million, that's probably gonna hurt 'em.

The whole idea of them having in-game purchases now is sayin' they need more money to keep developing the game, right?

# 102 mikeq672 @ 04/21/17 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seasprite


	Pretty crazy, I haven't had a single game against the CPU get dropped or not count. Including play CPU and Conquest. Don't take that as me saying I don't believe you or whatever, just posting my personal experience with it. Sent from my SM-G935V using Operation Sports mobile app

Yeah its extremely frustrating, my buddy doesnt experience half the issues I do either.

# 103 335TDC @ 04/21/17 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MLB14


	I'm just sayin' that if they fall below what they projected to make.. It's not good for them. It doesn't matter how much they make in a year. If they developed the game with a projection of 10 million in mind but only pulled in 6 million, that's probably gonna hurt 'em. The whole idea of them having in-game purchases now is sayin' they need more money to keep developing the game, right?

That's a different argument -- falling short of projections vs. losing money. And sure, if they fall short of projections, it's not good, but I don't know about "hurting" them. This is a hiccup, and people who play DD and collect cards will continue to, especially now that they've massively expanded "missions" to last months and months. I would predict that they'll make MORE money than they did last year, by a good margin. Really smart of them.

No, I don't think that's what they're saying at all. I don't think any developer or any intelligent gamer thinks that microstransactions exist to keep an already profitable game afloat. It's just pure, red-blooded capitalism.

Not trying to be argumentative, but the general idea that MLBTS is "in trouble," that they'll take a huge financial hit because of this, and that SDS will pay a price for it is just too...

...dramatic?

# 104 WaitTilNextYear @ 04/21/17 06:35 PM

Last year was their highest selling effort to date. It would be silly to think they'd stop making the game because of a month of bad servers and bad publicity.

# 105 mikeq672 @ 04/21/17 06:55 PM

Another play vs cpu game lost in the queue. This game is a joke. My stats count from the games for all the players, but the game is lost and nothing counts for the missions. This will be the last time I give these people a penny for this game.

# 106 MLB14 @ 04/21/17 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaitTilNextYear


	Last year was their highest selling effort to date. It would be silly to think they'd stop making the game because of a month of bad servers and bad publicity.

It's stuff like this though:

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeq672


	Another play vs cpu game lost in the queue. This game is a joke. My stats count from the games for all the players, but the game is lost and nothing counts for the missions. This will be the last time I give these people a penny for this game.

I've just never seen people say things along those lines for past versions of the game.

There's a lot of people that share his view of this situation because there's a lot of people that bought the game to strictly play online.

# 107 seasprite @ 04/21/17 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeq672


	Another play vs cpu game lost in the queue. This game is a joke. My stats count from the games for all the players, but the game is lost and nothing counts for the missions. This will be the last time I give these people a penny for this game.

I played 8 today between 9 am and 2om today and every single one counted. I don't understand how we could be having such different results. Could you be having an issue on your end?
I gather that I have been extremely lucky.... Knock on wood
Sent from my SM-G935V using Operation Sports mobile app

# 108 mikeq672 @ 04/21/17 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seasprite


	I played 8 today between 9 am and 2om today and every single one counted. I don't understand how we could be having such different results. Could you be having an issue on your end? I gather that I have been extremely lucky.... Knock on wood Sent from my SM-G935V using Operation Sports mobile app

I can play conquest and most BR games and get them to count with some regularity, anything 9 innings though just wont process for me.

Now Im getting all kinds of server errors

# 109 thekidisback @ 04/21/17 09:27 PM

I just finished a vs CPU game. My rewards came up and I got them and then I proceeded to go back to the DD menu and got the server error. I then saw all my team cards blank with a 0 in the left hand corner. I checked my game history and saw that it counted the game and checked my missions and saw that it counted the double I got for the Griffey Sr mission. I went to another screen and got message again and so I closed the app and turned off my PS4 and am now going to play Breath of the Wild.

# 110 djep @ 04/21/17 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335TDC


	I think I'm pretty balanced in my take on this whole fiasco, but who is "us"? Because I'm an offline Franchise guy who bought the regular edition. I highly doubt SDS would be "hurting" more than me if I bought the $100 version to play DD exclusively, bought a whole bunch more stubs, and got disconnected from lots of my games, losing HOURS of my life. Just saying.

I get it...dropping 100 bucks on a broken game would hurt but it's still a sunk cost.

Gaming as a product vs gaming as a service. It used to be so easy...just package it up, ship it out, release a patch or two as needed and you're done. Once consumer X has purchased the game your only source of revenue is to convince consumer Y to purchase.

Now it's more of a hybrid. They expect consumer X to keep pouring money into the game. Every minute that their servers are down they are losing money. Every day some higher up is asking the team, "When are the servers going to be up? When can we start making money again?" That's why I don't buy it when people say that they're just waiting for interest to wane rather than aggressively look for solutions to these server issues.

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

# 111 Twinkie12 @ 04/21/17 10:26 PM

Sounds like there is problems again tonight. I get a "Server Error Encountered" when entering DD. It lets me navigate within the mode, but I have a blank team and blank stats. Judging by twitter pics, a lot of people are having the same issue. Not good.

# 112 335TDC @ 04/21/17 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djep


	I get it...dropping 100 bucks on a broken game would hurt but it's still a sunk cost. Gaming as a product vs gaming as a service. It used to be so easy...just package it up, ship it out, release a patch or two as needed and you're done. Once consumer X has purchased the game your only source of revenue is to convince consumer Y to purchase. Now it's more of a hybrid. They expect consumer X to keep pouring money into the game. Every minute that their servers are down they are losing money. Every day some higher up is asking the team, "When are the servers going to be up? When can we start making money again?" That's why I don't buy it when people say that they're just waiting for interest to wane rather than aggressively look for solutions to these server issues. Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

I would think that there's not THAT much pressure or hysteria from the higher-ups because these "card" modes (MUT, DD, etc.) are season-long online events. It's unfortunate, and will stymie cash flow a little bit for a week or two, but that's all. Things will be back to normal very soon, and they'll make more money from the mode this year than they did last year.

DD looks cool and the missions are really well thought out, and it all reminds me a little bit of the Topps sticker books from the early 80's that I loved (damn you, Twins Gary Gaetti! -- only one that eluded me one year), but I won't buy in to it.

# 113 jeffy777 @ 04/22/17 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djep


	Gaming as a product vs gaming as a service. It used to be so easy...just package it up, ship it out, release a patch or two as needed and you're done. Once consumer X has purchased the game your only source of revenue is to convince consumer Y to purchase.

And before the advent of internet connectivity, there were no downloadable patches, so developers actually had to do extensive quality assurance and in-house beta testing to ensure the product was of highest quality at release. What a concept!

Now the paying customers are the QA/testers.

This is why I REALLY wish SDS would at least do a closed beta for pre-orders. Let's get the ball rolling sooner and test the servers in advance, as well as gameplay as a whole. It would make a huge difference.

# 114 335TDC @ 04/22/17 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffy777


	And before the advent of internet connectivity, there were no downloadable patches, so developers actually had to do extensive quality assurance and in-house beta testing to ensure the product was of highest quality at release. What a concept! Now the paying customers are the QA/testers. This is why I REALLY wish SDS would at least do a closed beta for pre-orders. Let's get the ball rolling sooner and test the servers in advance, as well as gameplay as a whole. It would make a huge difference.

I understand the general sentiment, and look -- I've been "maturely" brutal about this whole thing against SDS, so I'm not defending them.

HOWEVER, the whole idea that "back in the day" sports games were sold "complete" and "of the highest quality" is a bit naive. MLBTS17 is light years more complex than any of those "golden" games back in the day.

Back in the day, all running backs had the exact same juke move.

Back in the day, there weren't hundreds of exactly replicated batting stances, windups, and stretches.

Back in the day, I had to input my own rosters in NCAA or mail a memory card to some shady bastard.

Back in the day, the TE slant in Tecmo Bowl was unstoppable even if called by the D.

Look, I get the vitriol, and there's no excuse for SDS regarding the servers and online issues. But if the ball physics are a little wonky at the start this year -- they are -- I'm okay with that because it's a first-time attempt to do something really cool with the game and it will be patched. Do all shortstops seem to be able to make the jump throw like they're multiple GG winners? Yes, but that will be toned down. Is there a reliever glitch and does your catcher lobotomize when a ball is in the dirt? Yes, but these are VERY minor issues with a game that already plays BRILLIANTLY, and they will be patched.

At least with the Show, we are NOT beta testers. The gameplay is fantastic, and the devs made very real attempts to SUBSTANTIALLY improve gameplay. The online is a joke and an insult. These are two separate things.

I would support anyone who demanded a refund for the game since DD/online is the biggest push by SDS and they've messed with people's time, but gameplay, even with the few things that are wonky and will get patched, is absolutely stellar.

# 115 jeffy777 @ 04/22/17 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335TDC


	I understand the general sentiment, and look -- I've been "maturely" brutal about this whole thing against SDS, so I'm not defending them. HOWEVER, the whole idea that "back in the day" sports games were sold "complete" and "of the highest quality" is a bit naive. MLBTS17 is light years more complex than any of those "golden" games back in the day. Back in the day, all running backs had the exact same juke move. Back in the day, there weren't hundreds of exactly replicated batting stances, windups, and stretches. Back in the day, I had to input my own rosters in NCAA or mail a memory card to some shady bastard. Back in the day, the TE slant in Tecmo Bowl was unstoppable even if called by the D. Look, I get the vitriol, and there's no excuse for SDS regarding the servers and online issues. But if the ball physics are a little wonky at the start this year -- they are -- I'm okay with that because it's a first-time attempt to do something really cool with the game and it will be patched. Do all shortstops seem to be able to make the jump throw like they're multiple GG winners? Yes, but that will be toned down. Is there a reliever glitch and does your catcher lobotomize when a ball is in the dirt? Yes, but these are VERY minor issues with a game that already plays BRILLIANTLY, and they will be patched. At least with the Show, we are NOT beta testers. The gameplay is fantastic, and the devs made very real attempts to SUBSTANTIALLY improve gameplay. The online is a joke and an insult. These are two separate things. I would support anyone who demanded a refund for the game since DD/online is the biggest push by SDS and they've messed with people's time, but gameplay, even with the few things that are wonky and will get patched, is absolutely stellar.

Sorry to lead you on a goose chase of sorts, but my whole point is not that things were better "back in the day"....which wasn't even what I was getting at. I was only commenting on games of old in regards to the fact that they did have to test more in advance because they couldn't rely on patches.

But my main point was the last paragraph:

I REALLY wish SDS would at least do a closed beta for pre-orders. Let's get the ball rolling sooner and test the servers in advance, as well as gameplay as a whole. It would make a huge difference

It's the norm in basically every other genre of gaming these days. I really think it's time sports games followed suit, as they aren't any less immune to bugs and server issues, as we all know.

Also, we ARE the beta testers. I'm not saying SDS doesn't test the game themselves (they can only do so much), but all the gameplay issues you mentioned were found by this community (they ask us to report bugs for a reason) within just a few days or less...imagine if SDS had even a two day beta...we would test the daylight out of that thing, free of charge! (I'm also not saying these issues are game-breaking, but they are definitely glaring issues that weren't hard to detect when we threw more than a few eyes at it)

But more specific to this thread, we most certainly ARE the beta testers when it comes to the servers. Ramone said on Twitch before release that they couldn't say how much lag there would be online until after release because they couldn't test it until people started playing the game online. Well, guess what: a beta would test the servers. It would be very beneficial to at least test some server load in advance, which is why just about every FPS game for instance releases a beta these days.

I don't see why anyone would be opposed to such a beta and I really do hope we as the community push for it next year because it would be nothing but a positive thing no matter how you look at it. Sure, gameplay and online are two separate things, but the beauty of a beta is that you would kill two birds with one stone...so it's a win-win for all.

Honestly after the server issues we've seen the last couple years, I'd say it's desperately needed next year.

# 116 Dolenz @ 04/22/17 11:15 AM

Three disconnects already this morning. The first came as I was just capturing hexagons on the Conquest map. I restarted the game, went back in and captured about another 25 hexagons and lost connection again. Restarted the game and timed out trying to connect to the server just starting the game.

It is only 9:00 am here.

# 117 335TDC @ 04/22/17 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffy777


	Sorry to lead you on a goose chase of sorts, but my whole point is not that things were better "back in the day"....which wasn't even what I was getting at. I was only commenting on games of old in regards to the fact that they did have to test more in advance because they couldn't rely on patches. But my main point was the last paragraph: I REALLY wish SDS would at least do a closed beta for pre-orders. Let's get the ball rolling sooner and test the servers in advance, as well as gameplay as a whole. It would make a huge difference It's the norm in basically every other genre of gaming these days. I really think it's time sports games followed suit, as they aren't any less immune to bugs and server issues, as we all know. Also, we ARE the beta testers. I'm not saying SDS doesn't test the game themselves (they can only do so much), but all the gameplay issues you mentioned were found by this community (they ask us to report bugs for a reason) within just a few days or less...imagine if SDS had even a two day beta...we would test the daylight out of that thing, free of charge! (I'm also not saying these issues are game-breaking, but they are definitely glaring issues that weren't hard to detect when we threw more than a few eyes at it) But more specific to this thread, we most certainly ARE the beta testers when it comes to the servers. Ramone said on Twitch before release that they couldn't say how much lag there would be online until after release because they couldn't test it until people started playing the game online. Well, guess what: a beta would test the servers. It would be very beneficial to at least test some server load in advance, which is why just about every FPS game for instance releases a beta these days. I don't see why anyone would be opposed to such a beta and I really do hope we as the community push for it next year because it would be nothing but a positive thing no matter how you look at it. Sure, gameplay and online are two separate things, but the beauty of a beta is that you would kill two birds with one stone...so it's a win-win for all. Honestly after the server issues we've seen the last couple years, I'd say it's desperately needed next year.

Point conceded on the beta testers online, and even concerning gameplay. I was conflating beta testing with general QC, and although there is overlap, they're not the same thing. My bad, and good calls.

And on rethinking this, I am at a loss at how the bunting passed ANY QC whatsoever. I didn't mention it in my post -- just a boneheaded oversight -- but bunting is by far the worst gameplay glitch in the game. So yes, I guess we ARE testers after all...?

I really like your idea about a 2-day closed beta. Round up a group of OSers and cats from other sites (myself included, of course) and INVITE them (no need to pay!) to play the hell out of the game and report issues. That way the game could ship on time with a release day patch. Tell me bunting wouldn't be fixed if that happened...?!

# 118 Bullit @ 04/22/17 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 335TDC


	Point conceded on the beta testers online, and even concerning gameplay. I was conflating beta testing with general QC, and although there is overlap, they're not the same thing. My bad, and good calls. And on rethinking this, I am at a loss at how the bunting passed ANY QC whatsoever. I didn't mention it in my post -- just a boneheaded oversight -- but bunting is by far the worst gameplay glitch in the game. So yes, I guess we ARE testers after all...? I really like your idea about a 2-day closed beta. Round up a group of OSers and cats from other sites (myself included, of course) and INVITE them (no need to pay!) to play the hell out of the game and report issues. That way the game could ship on time with a release day patch. Tell me bunting wouldn't be fixed if that happened...?!

That would be Community Day. Which they have not done for the last two releases. Wait....no Community Day for the last 2 games. hmmmm?

# 119 mikeq672 @ 04/22/17 03:19 PM

Since I post everytime I have a day full of games that go to queue, figured I should be fair and post all my games have counted this morning. *Knock on wood*

# 120 Artman22 @ 04/22/17 04:20 PM

Almost a month this game been out and the servers are still an issue. SDS hasn't been too vocal either since release. Many of us haven't been able to start our online leagues due to the terrible servers. Since SDS isn't saying much it's even more disappointing. Next year I will not buy this game on release date until I hear the servers are good.

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A Summary of the Issues

The Community Reaction

When Will it Be Fixed?