<s>
Blaseball	B-Application
is	O
a	O
baseball	B-Application
simulation	O
horror	B-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
The	O
Game	O
Band	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
20	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
played	O
via	O
web	O
browser	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
each	O
week	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
active	O
,	O
a	O
full	O
season	O
and	O
championship	O
series	O
of	O
"	O
Internet	O
League	O
Blaseball	B-Application
"	O
is	O
simulated	O
,	O
with	O
elections	O
on	O
Sundays	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
community	O
can	O
change	O
the	O
rules	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Non-player	O
characters	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
league	O
's	O
owner	O
or	O
commissioner	O
,	O
occasionally	O
deliver	O
dialogue	O
on	O
the	O
website	O
and	O
through	O
Twitter	B-Application
accounts	I-Application
,	O
creating	O
an	O
absurdist	O
horror	B-Application
narrative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blaseball	B-Application
centers	O
on	O
an	O
absurdist	O
simulation	O
of	O
baseball	B-Application
,	O
with	O
fictional	O
teams	O
,	O
featuring	O
random	O
events	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
incineration	O
"	O
of	O
players	O
by	O
"	O
rogue	O
umpires	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Narratively	O
,	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
Blaseball	B-Application
unfolds	O
across	O
eras	O
spanning	O
multiple	O
seasons	O
,	O
and	O
largely	O
impacted	O
by	O
players	O
 '	O
collective	O
choices	O
through	O
elections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
30	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
Expansion	O
Era	O
ended	O
,	O
Blaseball	B-Application
became	O
unplayable	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
black	O
hole	O
consuming	O
the	O
league	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
October	O
28	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
a	O
weekly	O
event	O
called	O
The	O
Fall	O
occurred	O
announcing	O
one	O
random	O
returning	O
player	O
falling	O
from	O
the	O
black	O
hole	O
to	O
each	O
team	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
announcing	O
vague	O
new	O
sign-up	O
goals	O
and	O
game	O
mechanics	O
,	O
leading	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
return	O
of	O
Blaseball	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
mixed	O
feedback	O
to	O
the	O
new	O
experience	O
,	O
The	O
Game	O
Band	O
opted	O
to	O
place	O
the	O
game	O
back	O
on	O
a	O
brief	O
siesta	B-Application
on	O
February	O
3	O
,	O
2023	O
,	O
to	O
address	O
concerns	O
before	O
resuming	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sam	O
Rosenthal	O
,	O
the	O
creative	O
director	O
of	O
The	O
Game	O
Band	O
,	O
spent	O
some	O
time	O
on	O
video	O
conference	O
calls	O
during	O
a	O
quarantine	O
caused	O
by	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
with	O
friends	O
who	O
do	O
not	O
usually	O
play	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
but	O
were	O
still	O
eager	O
to	O
play	O
browser	B-Protocol
adaptations	O
of	O
board	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
first	O
,	O
he	O
thought	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
horse-racing	O
gambling	O
game	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
team	O
decided	O
that	O
the	O
whole	O
concept	O
was	O
better	O
suited	O
for	O
baseball	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blaseball	B-Application
was	O
put	O
on	O
another	O
hiatus	O
,	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
Grand	O
Siesta	B-Application
"	O
,	O
from	O
October	O
25	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
to	O
March	O
1	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Expansion	O
Era	O
ended	O
in	O
July	O
2021	O
,	O
and	O
Blaseball	B-Application
went	O
into	O
a	O
lengthy	O
siesta	B-Application
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
Game	O
Band	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
overhauling	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
1	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
Blaseball	B-Application
would	O
return	O
for	O
a	O
shorter	O
format	O
season	O
,	O
called	O
Blaseball	B-Application
:	O
Short	O
Circuits	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
purpose	O
of	O
testing	O
out	O
quality	O
of	O
life	O
improvements	O
and	O
new	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
26	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
The	O
Game	O
Band	O
announced	O
that	O
Blaseball	B-Application
would	O
be	O
returning	O
with	O
a	O
prologue	O
,	O
beginning	O
on	O
October	O
28	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Game	O
Band	O
also	O
announced	O
a	O
mobile	O
version	O
of	O
Blaseball	B-Application
would	O
be	O
released	O
around	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blaseball	B-Application
is	O
known	O
for	O
its	O
sizeable	O
fan	O
community	O
,	O
which	O
has	O
developed	O
a	O
deep	O
lore	O
around	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
its	O
teams	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fans	O
have	O
also	O
contributed	O
by	O
creating	O
art	O
and	O
social	O
media	O
accounts	O
for	O
Blaseball	B-Application
players	O
,	O
leagues	O
,	O
sportscasters	O
and	O
union	O
representatives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Blaseball	B-Application
community	O
often	O
uses	O
its	O
platform	O
to	O
engage	O
in	O
charity	O
and	O
activism	O
,	O
including	O
charitable	O
donations	O
through	O
the	O
collectively-run	O
merchandise	O
store	O
Blaseball	B-Application
Cares	O
,	O
campaigning	O
for	O
Nithya	O
Raman	O
for	O
LA	O
council	O
,	O
and	O
running	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
Industrial	O
Workers	O
of	O
the	O
World	O
union	O
training	O
courses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blaseball	B-Application
was	O
a	O
2021	O
finalist	O
for	O
the	O
Nebula	O
Award	O
for	O
Best	O
Game	O
Writing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2021	O
,	O
Blaseball	B-Application
won	O
the	O
Nuovo	O
Award	O
at	O
the	O
2021	O
Independent	O
Games	O
Festival	O
.	O
</s>
