World Series ranking level in Ranked Seasons is one of the most prestigious achievements one can reach in MLB The Show 19’s Diamond Dynasty. Earlier this week, Koogs46 was caught cheating to help another player reach the World Series ranking. Koogs is not only a big name in the MLB The Show community, he’s a Sony Partner that is featured in this year’s game.
Koogs entered a Ranked Seasons game on Wednesday afternoon with Mighty Goat, another MLB content creator. While Mighty Goat isn’t as well-known as Koogs, both have legitimate influence within the MLB The Show community.
When the game started, Koogs immediately quit out, giving Mighty Goat a free win, a win that would give him a substantial amount of points en route to a World Series qualification.
It’s still unclear whether this game was planned or if the two players were randomly matched up. Regardless, the result of the game was clearly fixed. Both Koogs and Mighty Goat issued apologies via Twitter. Each apology is below.
— Koogs (@Koogs46) April 18, 2019
— Mighty Goat (@ItsMightyGoat) April 18, 2019
This is obviously a problem for a lot of reasons. Both players are held to a higher standard, especially Koogs, who is partnered with Sony San Diego Studio. But as one Twitter user pointed out, this is a clear violation of Terms of Service.
@Koogs46 @MLBTheShow @MLBTheShow_Tips waiting pic.twitter.com/1guDKirdvY
— Ricky Trinidad 🇵🇷 (@BebetoPR) April 19, 2019
Additionally, Mighty Goat is able to make profit off of this. By advancing to World Series, he’s then able to unlock more cards. Those cards can be the subject of new gameplay videos on YouTube, which obviously bring him money. So, indirectly, Mighty Goat is reaping financial benefits from this.
Personally, I do not want any punishment to be handed down to either player. Unfortunately, this is a common practice within the player base for MLB The Show and other games. Boosting occurs on almost every video game, and while there is proof the game disconnected between Koogs and Mighty Goat, there’s not indisputable evidence that the two players conspired to cheat the system. After all, neither player admitted to nor apologized for any specific actions. SDS should comment on the matter, however, and take the issue more seriously. Games that get disconnected should be investigated. This incident should be used as an example going forward, but SDS should not make an example out of the individual players.
What do you think of this situation? Should any specific punishment be handed down to either player? Have you ever witnessed or been part of boosting in a sports video game? Let us know in the comment section below, and don’t forget to subscribe to SGO.
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