“The appeal to baseball fans is on several levels. First, it is a short form game. Second, it’s very social. Third, collecting is fun.â€
As an official licensee of the MLB Advanced Media and the MLBPA, Baseball Boss is one of the more unique card games available. Designed solely for the Web, Jeff Petry from Challenge Games Marketing says that the game is based on three simple things:
- Players collect and trade virtual Baseball Boss branded baseball cards of current and historical players – its like iTunes meets baseball cards.
- Players use those cards to create a baseball team.
- Players then challenge others through a variety of head-to-head baseball game play modes.
“Players can register and play free at here, ” Petry says. “We give all new players free packs of our Baseball Boss cards when they register, and there are a number of ways players can grow their card collection. What’s interesting is that we’ve found that people like to play in a couple of primary ways. Some just want to play baseball games against others. But some play just for the sake of collecting our baseball cards (and have amassed thousands of cards in just the few months that we’ve been live.) I believe some of our more entrepreneurial players are running virtual card shops through the game, which we think is pretty cool. We’ve definitely put economic structures in the game to allow folks to play that way if they want.”
Baseball Boss is described as a “baseball card fantasy” game. For our readers who are used to playing Sony’s MLB series and others like it, explain what this game is like, how it differs from the pack, and why baseball enthusiasts should be excited.
Jeff Petry: Baseball Boss is very unique to the baseball game genre. It is the first game to combine baseball simulation games with collectible card games. The appeal to baseball fans is on several levels. First, it is a short form game – players can hop online and get a quick baseball game fix in just a few minutes. Second, it’s very social – players can compete against other players online (or against historical teams). Third, collecting is fun – players can amass a vast a baseball card collection without having to store boxes and binders. Our game’s Auction House is a like a mini baseball card only eBay where players can get cards from other players. We think Baseball Boss will have a very strong appeal to baseball fans, gamers and collectors.
Is Baseball Boss anything like the card-based RPGs? Did any of them serve as inspiration for this game?
JP: We were inspired by other card-based RPGs in that we felt we had a product that would very much add to the genre. We were also inspired by the best card-based RPGs to make the best possible game. We feel that Baseball Boss’ innovative combination of CCGs and fantasy baseball stands alone in the market, but that doesn’t mean that the game play will be unfamiliar with card-based RPGs. Anyone who has played a CCG should be able to get into Baseball Boss right away and have a great time.
The iPhone has proved to be a successful device, but why bring a game to this platform as opposed to a dedicated game machine?
JP: Our company mission is to create online, short-form games that are challenging, fun and easy to play whether you’re a serious or casual gamer. This makes the iPhone a perfect fit. You can use iPhone’s browser to play Baseball Boss anytime, from anywhere. So it is perfect for someone on-the-go or who has a few minutes to to get that quick baseball and gaming fix.
