Nippon Professional Baseball Organization and Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. are proud to announce that the 2019 season for the eBASEBALL Pro League will get underway this November. This professional baseball esports league features KONAMI baseball content as its competition title.
Through the fun and excitement of esports, this initiative is designed to offer new ways of enjoying baseball as well as grow the sport’s fan base. Last year’s inaugural season saw the Central League’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars face off against the Pacific League’s Saitama Seibu Lions in the SMBC eNippon Series, with the Lions emerging as the first ever champions.
The eBASEBALL Pro League 2019 season will feature PlayStation®4 title "Jikkyou Pawafuru Puroyakyu 2018"*1 (updated with 2019 season professional baseball data) as its competition title.
The season will begin on Sunday, November 3, and includes the ePennant race and the eClimax Series, culminating with the eNippon Series to crown the champions on Saturday, January 25, 2020. The aim is to create an even more thrilling competition this year, one that could truly be called a second form of professional baseball. New elements will include expanding each team’s roster to four players, having Central and Pacific League interleague play, and making retired players available for play in-game. In addition, former manager of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and commentator Mitsuru Manaka, will serve as the eBASEBALL Pro League Director of Engagement, becoming a bridge between the worlds of traditional baseball and the esport, and bringing a whole new level of energy to the tournament.
Further details about the competition will be posted on its official website and other channels as they become available. We hope players and fans alike are looking forward to an even more exciting eBASEBALL Pro League this year.
- NPB Commissioner Atsushi Saito
- Konami Digital Entertainment Representative Director & President Hideki Hayakawa
About the Jikkyou Pawafuru Puroyakyu series
A flagship KONAMI IP, the Jikkyou Pawafuru Puroyakyu baseball game series has been enjoyed for over 20 years, going back to its birth as a console title in 1994. In 2014, KONAMI released mobile title "Jikkyou Pawafuru Puroyakyu," which features the player training mode known as Success Mode. Series entries have also gathered attention as esports competition titles; in 2017, an esports tournament played through the Jikkyou Pawafuru Puroyakyu series was held as part of the Culture Program of the National Sports Festival of Japan.
eBASEBALL Pro League 2019 season official website
*1 Online update required.
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