“I had to rewrite a lot of code.”
Pitcher Shohei Ohtani of the Angels who is the “cover athlete” in the 2022 edition of MLB’s popular game “MLB The SHOW”. In the deluxe editions “MVP Edition” and “Digital Deluxe Edition“, they appear as animations. Ramone Russell, who is in charge of product development communication and brand strategy, interviewed the US sports agency “FOX Sports” about the inside story of the development of the anime version cover and the “difficult story” until the two-sword style ability is installed in the game. Is talking about.
Russell is an analyst at Fox Sports and appears on Ben Verlander’s podcast show, known as a big fan of Otani. He talked about how Otani was used as a cover for the game. “I didn’t have to think about it. Shortly before the all-star break, there was a growing voice saying,’Let’s use Shohei as a cover,’ and it was almost confirmed at the time of the all-star. I couldn’t think of anything other than him to decorate the cover.” Looking back.
When it was decided to use the cover, the idea of ”Otani” emerged for the MVP collector version of the cover, and it became an anime version. “We all wondered if there was a way to incorporate the elements of anime and manga with respect. It wasn’t something that was taken lightly,” he said. Once the idea was settled, we started to select an artist. Takashi Okazaki, a big fan of Otani, was nominated. Mr. Okazaki, who received the offer, said he was willing to “open all schedules.”
The focus of the cover illustration production was “how to convey the duality” of the dual wield Otani. It took four to five months to complete. “Takashi (Mr. Okazaki) did a wonderful job. Otani drew it as if he were a superhero in another world of manga and anime. Otani is doing superhuman things in the real world, so I couldn’t just make it look like a human. “
In addition, Mr. Russell showed the “difficult story” until he adopted the dual wield Otani in the game. Until the previous game, Otani in the game was either a pitcher or a batter. “That’s the process that tells us how great he is. I had to rewrite all the code to make Otani work in the game. It took me a few years. It started with” What is dual wield? ” There is a strong distinction between hitting and throwing in the game. I had to rewrite a lot of code to make Otani usable in the game. Finally this year, MLB The Show is the same way as Angels. Now I can use Otani. “
(Full-Count editorial department)
