MLB 14 The Show Servers to Shut Down June 18

It's becoming clear that annual sports titles are meant to last about one year — multiplayer features included.

Sony's UK PlayStation blog let slip that MLB 14 The Show's servers will be taken offline June 18, about 13 months after the game launched on PlayStation 4. We've asked a PlayStation rep if this applies to North American servers as well.

If so, it reflects a recent trend in sports gaming of deactivating online services before a release's second birthday. On March 1, 2K Sports announced that servers for NBA 2K14 would be disconnected by the end of the month, 16 months after the game launched on PS4 and Xbox One. The servers for NBA 2K13's servers were discontinued in March 2014. NBA 2K12's servers were taken offline in November 2012, roughly 13 months after launch.

While The Show's deactivation might be expected of a game whose next edition arrives March 31, online services for sports titles have typically lasted longer. MLB 13 The Show's online support, for example, was taken out of commission in November 2014 — 20 months after the game's launch.

Courtesy: Polygon