Famous illustrator Takashi Okazaki creates MLB The Show 22’s Collector’s Edition cover art featuring Shohei Ohtani

blog.playstation.com:

Shohei Ohtani was our unanimous choice to be on the cover of MLB The Show 22, but we wanted to do something special for the Collector’s Edition(s). You might not know this, but Shohei is a big fan of manga and anime; he has been since his years attending Hanamaki Higashi High School in Japan. His passion for baseball has always been high but his love for a specific manga series made him love baseball more.

Shohei Ohtani put together what could be considered one of the greatest single seasons in MLB history. One could say it was superhero like, we sure did. With that in mind and knowing Shohei’s love for manga and anime the decision was clear. A normal Collector’s Edition cover wouldn’t suffice— we needed to take it to the next level.

We heard through the grapevine that famed manga artist, director, and writer Takashi Okazaki (Afro Samurai, Batman Ninja) was a huge fan of Shohei Ohtani. We all thought how cool would it be if Takashi drew an anime version of Shohei for the Collector’s Edition cover of MLB The Show 22? Shohei is a once in a generation athlete with superhero like abilities on the field. What better way to bring that to life than to have worlds collide on a truly unique cover? We are thrilled to share the results of this collaboration.

Cover Art not representative of in-game art.

Now you’re wondering, “What’s in the Editions?”  First, we’re very excited to announce that Early Access is back for anyone that purchases either the MVP Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition of MLB The Show 22. Early Access in MLB The Show 22 begins April 1, to give you a four day head start.

Pre-order now at PlayStation Store and be ready for action by receiving a Gold Choice Pack for use in MLB The Show 22 just for pre-ordering