(I have posted this on our official community forums already, but I felt it would be appropriate to post it here on Reddit as well)

Dear OOTP Community,

Today, I have some important personal news to share. After much reflection, I've decided that it's time for me to step away from my role at Out of the Park Developments and open a new chapter in my life.This wasn't an easy decision to make, and I wanted to reach out personally to all of you who've made this journey so incredibly special.

When I first started working on Out of the Park Baseball, I could never have imagined the amazing community that would grow around it. What started as a simple idea fueled by my love for baseball and strategy gaming has blossomed into something truly extraordinary, all thanks to you.

I still remember the early days... writing the first lines of OOTP code back in 1997, tucked away in my tiny 90-square-foot dorm room. The first launch in 1999. Pulling all-nighters to fix bugs, getting excited over every new feature idea, and eagerly reading your feedback on the forums after each launch. It was an incredible time. Over the years, your passion, suggestions, and critiques have been the driving force behind OOTP's evolution. Together, we've taken this game to a level I never thought possible.

I want to give a huge shoutout to our amazing team. I've had the privilege of working with some of the most talented and passionate people in the industry. Thank you for your hard work, creativity, and for making (almost, haha) every day at work fun and exciting. I consider every single one of you not just colleagues but true friends. OOTP's future is in good hands.

I also want to express my deepest gratitude to our partners at MLB, MLBPA, and the Com2uS Corporation. Their exceptional support for our little niche game has been truly remarkable. Working alongside these esteemed organizations over the years has been an honor, and their belief in our vision helped us bring OOTP to new heights.

While I plan to pursue new opportunities sometime next year, I certainly won't disappear. I'll be available to the entire team as a mentor and will happily provide feedback on feature designs if needed. Of course, I'll also continue to play the game and lurk around on the forums.

So, this is it. Out of the Park Baseball 25 was my final launch. After more than 27 years, my career as OOTP developer and CEO / managing director of the company is now officially over. I was incredibly lucky to have such a long career in gaming, and I am eternally grateful to everyone who helped me along the way. You guys are the best!

Thank you all for being part of this incredible journey.
Markus

As someone who is playing for the first time and only had a vague idea of what OOTP was beforehand, jumping in to OOTP 21 is a surreal experience. Two days ago I was just your every day quarantined English teacher. Today I am the commissioner of the Negro Leagues in 1921 and the manager of the Kansas City Monarchs. I'm looking at all of these different modes, settings, player attributes and all that offer full customization, and I'm just mindblown.

Now, I will say that I've had to edit almost every player because I think the NeL players are rated pretty unfairly and some just weren't researched well at all. But all that has done is given me an excuse to do even more research on what may be my favorite topic in the world. So who gives a shit? And I'm almost done with it, almost ready to do Opening Day. And now I'm hearing there's a way to actually watch these games play out???

What the hell? I can just sit down and watch a digital Bullet Rogan throwing to digital Oscar Charleston?

Is this some kind of joke you guys are playing on me? How does this game exist? How am I supposed to spend any moment of my life doing literally anything else now?

I’ve been playing since OOTP 21 and finally made it in the game! Gonna need a bit of TCR luck to make it to the bigs (or some commish mode edits lol) but this is super cool!

My name is Cole Uvila and I just started my first full season with the rangers. I’ve loved OOTP for years but haven’t bought this years version. Can anyone see if I’m in the game? 😂 screenshot my profile if I am?

"Hey boss, I think this 20 potential reliever from Uzbekistan could really help the club"