Perennial All-Star And American League Most Valuable Player Candidate Adrian Gonzalez Announced as Cover Athlete For MLB® 12 The Show™, Exclusively on The PlayStation®3 (PS3™) And PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) Systems

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) announced today the North American release of MLB® 12 The Show™,  the latest installment of the number-one selling and rated Major League Baseball® (MLB®) video game franchise.  Gracing the cover of The Show in 2012 will be Boston Red Sox All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.  A candidate for this year's America League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, Gonzalez is a four-time All-Star (2008-2011), three-time Gold Glove winner (2008, 2009, 2011), and 2011 Silver Slugger Award winner.

Available for the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) and PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) systems, MLB 12 The Show is due to arrive in stores on March 6, 2012, just in time for MLB Spring Training.  The Show has been and continues to be the market leading and highest ranked officially licensed baseball title of this console generation (according to MetaCritic.com) and the number-one rated sports video game over the past four years (according to GameRankings.com), delivering true-to-life gameplay, authentic franchise and season modes, and incredible detail not found in any other sports game.  MLB 12 The Show builds on what has been delivered in previous franchise releases, adding compelling features that bring unparalleled innovation and polish to the sports genre.

"I feel very humbled to be chosen for the cover of MLB 12 The Show," said Gonzalez, who recently won his third Gold Glove Award.  "I think most sports fans would agree it's a dream come true to be immortalized as the cover athlete for a video game so I jumped at the chance to work with a leading franchise like The Show—it's truly a great honor."

"With a standout 2011 season in his first year with the Boston Red Sox, Adrian Gonzalez has cemented himself as one of the best all-around players in baseball," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President, Product Marketing, SCEA.  "Similarly, The Show has been the market leader and the highest rated, best-selling baseball video game franchise of all time.  Therefore, Adrian was an easy choice and a perfect fit to represent the next installment of our critically acclaimed series, MLB 12 The Show."

The first overall pick by the Florida Marlins in the 2000 MLB Draft, Adrian Gonzalez has steadily become one of the top players in all of baseball, both on the field and at the plate.  In 2010 while playing for the San Diego Padres, he was named team MVP for the third consecutive year and fourth time overall.  In 2011, Gonzalez was traded to the Boston Red Sox in a blockbuster deal and enjoyed one of his best professional seasons, which included his 1,000 career hit, fourth consecutive All-Star selection, third Gold Glove, first Silver Slugger Award, and a top five finish in batting average (.338) and RBI (117) in all of baseball.

MLB 12 The Show is the first baseball video game cover for Gonzalez who joins an elite cast of cover athletes and spokespersons to represent The Show, including Minnesota Twins catcher and 2009 American League (AL) MVP Joe Mauer, Red Sox second baseman and 2008 AL MVP Dustin Pedroia, Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, and New York Mets third baseman David Wright.  As the latest representative of SCEA's baseball series and ambassador for MLB 12 The Show, Gonzalez's duties will include participation in the game's motion capture process, artificial intelligence (A.I.) consultation, integration into all facets of the marketing campaign, and spokesperson for the franchise.  

As Gonzalez continues to establish himself as one of the most talented players in the game today,   MLB 12 The Show continues to build upon an already stellar reputation for immersion and unparalleled delivery of the baseball experience.  With various new key features and enhancements to the critically acclaimed series, MLB 12 The Show is poised to continue the franchise's reign as the premier MLB licensed game on any platform.  Specifically for PS Vita, MLB 12 The Show will utilize all of the core gameplay features found in the PS3 version providing a big league experience that players can take with them on road, anytime, anywhere.  All new features for MLB 12 The Show will be unveiled and detailed throughout the course of the campaign, prior to the game's launch on March 6, 2012.  

The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating for MLB 12 The Show is "RP" for "Rating Pending."  For more information about the ESRB visit http://www.esrb.org.  For more information about the MLB 12 The Show, visit http://theshownation.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/mlbtheshow.

About Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC

Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one® systems, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, the ground-breaking PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system, PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) system, and its online and network services, the PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Store.  Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one, PlayStation 2, PSP, PSPgo and PS3 systems for the North American market.  Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC serves as headquarters for all North American operations.

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SOURCE Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.