MLB The Show 16 suffering from crippling server drag in primetime hours

Yesterday Sony San Diego released a server-side update that fixed some online related issues with MLB The Show 16. What it did not do, however, was address the biggest problem the game is facing right now as it buckles under the server load being faced in primetime hours running from about 3PT-10PT every day.

Yesterday offered up the worst experience yet. MLB The Show 16 was essentially rendered completely unplayable unless disconnecting entirely from the internet before starting it up. While connected, it took upwards of five minutes simply to load to the main menu, and navigating to any other page took several minutes of their own. It probably would have taken over an hour to complete a single “Attack” cycle in Conquest – not that anyone would even attempt such a thing given the circumstances, as there was no point to even trying to play in any form or fashion during that whole time period. For part of the evening the game’s servers were even down completely, returning a “Server Error Encountered” message.

This trouble can no longer be explained away as simply being a challenge faced the day of release or even the week of release due to high demand – a popular excuse most publishers tend to lean on these days. The game is into its second week now with no sign of improvement. There hasn’t been an issue comparable to this one since NBA 2K14 was down and unplayable for a full week over the holidays in 2013.

MLB The Show 16 is a fantastic game with a number of compelling ways to play. However if consumers can’t rely on it to be available to them at all times, and work as intended, it could have longer term ramifications for the series.