MLR teams to be included in new rugby video game

Big Ant Studios has announced that their brand new rugby video game will include Major League Rugby in the upcoming title.

Rugby 25, previously named Rugby 24, was rebranded back in June after a series of issues led to the end product’s delayed release. Back in June a statement from developers ‘Big Ant Studios’ read:

“First and foremost, we sincerely apologies to you for the significant delay you have endured in anticipation of this new Rugby game. We’ve spent considerable time signing more than 150 rugby licensing deals and also traveling the world to scan players whenever they could be made available.

“This delay has caused us to now focus on the 2024 and 2025 seasons, hence we have decided to appropriately rename Rugby 24 to Rugby 25.”

Many players have, however, already experienced the digital version of our brilliant game via Steam thanks to various early access BETA testing codes. The game, which is still being heavily developed, is far from the finished model, but the signs look promising.

The player and stadium graphics appear to be better than anything we’ve seen before on a rugby video game, with a major effort having been put into creating lifelike player characteristics and likenesses.

The next couple of patches are expected to be installed in September and October with a major emphasis on improving the existing gameplay which has been criticised for its lack of fluidity at times.

The major announcement in the most recent patch comes with the news that America’s Major League Rugby will be included in the game, with multiple stadiums and all 12 sides gaining full licencing.

There have not been any details surrounding the player licencing in the league itself, so fans will need to wait to see if they will have the opportunity to play as the likes of legends Ma’a Nonu and Matt Giteau.

Player & team creator, Major League, MLR Stadiums, statistics, gameplay…

We are happy to announce the release of Early Access 3, our third major update to Rugby 25 🏉

More info ➡️ https://t.co/LaAEWjh7e2 pic.twitter.com/kdLXWuP186

— RUGBY 25 (@rugbythegame) August 30, 2024

Developers have also provided a roadmap towards the game’s final release as they look to provide the most comprehensive rugby game, to date.

We are at the end of what we had proposed in the original Rugby 25 roadmap, so here is our new roadmap for the upcoming months! 🏉

All the information ➡️ https://t.co/rsPzzQNJ7r pic.twitter.com/ZnYZn2zXDq

— RUGBY 25 (@rugbythegame) August 30, 2024