Sega Announces Free-To-Play MLB Manager Online

Sega has announced MLB Manager Online, a browser-based, free-to-play sports simulation launching in March 2011 alongside the start of the 2011 Major League Baseball season. Licensed with the MLB Players Association and MLB Advanced Media (the interactive media division of Major League Baseball), the game will launch in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Sega notes that this will be its first online sports sim released in those regions. The publisher has experience releasing sports sims like its popular Football Manager series on PC, console, and mobile platforms, but MLB Manager Online will be playable within users' browsers through Flash, eschewing the need for additional purchases, downloads, or installations. MLB Manager Online will have players take on the role of baseball team managers. They will be able to form their ideal line-up from more than 900 players from 30 U.S. Major League Baseball teams. Player stats, profiles, past records, and more will be available for gamers to refer to. "MLB Manager Online represents an important step forward in Sega’s goal of expanding into the digital gaming space and providing fans with exciting new ways to enjoy their favorite sport," says Sega of America's Digital Business VP Haruki Satomi. Sega has started accepting applications for MLB Manager Online's closed beta, which is scheduled to start on January 27, on the game's official site.