MLB The Show 25 recently revealed a big change coming to its ranking system, and not all players are happy about it. Previous MLB The Show games have featured a Ranked mode where you earn and lose points for winning and losing games. Your total score allows you to earn ratings and rewards, which were represented by different parts of the MLB season in MLB The Show 24, going from Spring Training to the World Series. While MLB The Show 25 retains this basic framework, it has made a controversial change to its ranks.

The Ranked system is far from the only target of changes in MLB The Show 25. There are Road to the Show's new progression system is another good example of updates being made to MLB The Show 25. Although some of the game's changes have been met with a warm reception, reactions to its recently announced change to the Ranked system have been a bit more mixed.

World Series Is Now At 800 In Ranked Rating Rewards

World Series Is Now 100 Points Lower Than It Was Before

A clip shared on MLB The Show's official Twitter revealed that the World Series rating would be easier to achieve. While you would previously need to reach a score of 900 in Ranked to get there, you will now only need 800. There isn't a set number of points that you earn for a win; instead, it is based on your rank relative to your opponent. This means you can sometimes play an entire game and go up as few as 10 points, making a 100-point downshift for reaching World Series a significant change.

While there are some reward tiers that go beyond World Series, like Legend at 900 or G.O.A.T. at 1000, they don't actually count as a new rank. World Series is still the highest rating, meaning MLB The Show 25 has simply made it easier to reach the highest rank in the game. This is the main point of contention among fans, mainly because of the perceived difficulty of reaching World Series and what it is meant to represent.

Moving The Reward Down Means More People Can Get It

Less Than One Percent Of MLB The Show 24 Players Reached World Series

One of the main points brought up in the clip by MLB The Show's developers was that less than one percent of players managed to reach the World Series rank in the previous game. The stated goal of lowering the score required to reach it is to make World Series more attainable, providing a path to the goal that could attract a larger number of players than the minority that managed it in MLB The Show 24.

My initial reaction to this was that it was another positive change to MLB The Show 25, similar to it cutting sets and seasons from Diamond Dynasty. This thought was echoed by some of the replies to the original post, but the reaction was far from universally positive. In fact, some players seemed genuinely upset about the new changes being made to MLB The Show's ranks.

Why Some People Are Upset About The Change

Some Players See This As MLB The Show Lowering Its Standards

Ignoring some of the intentionally inflammatory comments, the main criticism levied at this change seems to be that making World Series easier to achieve takes away from the accomplishment of reaching it. After all, if you were part of the less than one percent of players who managed to reach World Series in MLB The Show 24, you were probably pretty proud of that achievement. While making it easier to achieve in MLB The Show 25 doesn't take anything away from those players, it may still feel like the game's standards are being lowered.

Personally, I think some of the criticism here is overblown. Although some players liken the move to handing out participation trophies, that's far from the reality of the situation. The other 99% of other MLB The Show 24 players weren't all only 100 points away from reaching World Series. Achieving the feat will still take time and dedication, and there's nothing stopping anyone from grinding further to earn higher-tier rewards. The change simply makes the World Series an attainable goal for more players while maintaining its status as a significant accomplishment.

Easier Ranked Rewards Should Get More People Interested

More People Will Play Ranked If Its Rewards Are Realistic

Making it easier to reach higher ranks and get those top-tier rewards will likely make Ranked mode more attractive. I'm no stranger to climbing a ladder or two in video games; I've played in an MTG Arena Mythic Qualifier and I struggled through a lot of the early Overwatch seasons. Playing Ranked modes can be hard to get into if the end goal doesn't seem achievable or there isn't some strong incentive to perform.

By making World Series slightly more achievable, MLB The Show 25 gives players a bit more incentive to try out Ranked mode. It still isn't an easy thing to do, just a more realistic goal to shoot for than it was in MLB The Show 24. In general, having more players participating in Ranked will likely improve the experience in MLB The Show 25.

Source: Twitter