MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PARTNERS WITH RENOWNED VIDEO GAME PUBLISHER KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT IN GLOBAL, MULTI-YEAR SPONSORSHIP DEAL PROMOTING THE NEW GAME, eBASEBALL™: MLB PRO SPIRIT

New Licensed Mobile Game with Cover Athlete Shohei Ohtani Available on Android and iOS

Marketing Extensions Include MLB Tokyo Series Activations, 2025 Opening Day Presenting Sponsorship and Global All-Star Ballot Title Sponsorship

LOS ANGELES – March 25, 2025 – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. (KONAMI) and Major League Baseball today announced a new global partnership to engage and continue growing MLB’s fan base around the world and promote the latest MLB-licensed mobile game – eBaseball™: MLB PRO SPIRIT. As part of the MLB partnership, KONAMI will be activating inside and outside the Tokyo Dome to promote eBaseball: MLB PRO SPIRIT during the MLB Tokyo Series presented by Guggenheim March 18-19. From there, KONAMI is launching its global marketing campaign for eBaseball™: MLB PRO SPIRIT with multimedia creative spots featuring Baltimore Orioles All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman and San Diego Padres All-Star outfielder Jackson Merrill across digital and social media platforms. As part of its advertising mix, the 2025 MLB Opening Day presented by eBaseball™: MLB PRO SPIRIT composite logo will run on MLB.com, MLB Network, MLB social media accounts and MLB media partners around the U.S.

Another landmark feature of this partnership provides the MLB All-Star Ballot with a global sponsor and mobile game extension for the first time; it also allows for more people to access MLB All-Star voting abroad than previously available. The 2025 Pro Spirit MLB All-Star Ballot launches this season and more details on the updated fan voting integration will be announced at a later date. As the Title Partner of the All-Star Ballot, eBaseball™: MLB PRO SPIRIT branding will be featured across MLB’s various media platforms as fans cast votes online for their favorite players.

“KONAMI has been innovating video games for nearly half a century and entertaining sports fans with their unique offerings for decades, but with this highly integrated partnership we can help take eBaseball™: MLB PRO SPIRIT to another level and deliver a truly outstanding experience for fans,” said Noah Garden, MLB Deputy Commissioner, Business & Media. “KONAMI’s focus on evolving their consumers’ experience through technology and innovation aligns with our priorities at MLB, making them an ideal partner. We look forward to collaborating throughout the season to promote this fun, new game and highlight our many talented players around the world.”

“We are pleased to announce this strategic partnership with MLB,” said Hideki Hayakawa, Representative Director, President, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. “For over 30 years, we have provided entertaining and immersive baseball video game experiences in Japan and are happy to partner with the league to share those experiences with a greater audience.”

KONAMI’s eBaseball™: MLB PRO SPIRIT aims to deliver an authentic, immersive experience that enables fans to enjoy realistic baseball game simulation and player training on their Android or iOS mobile devices. KONAMI plans to implement various measures in eBaseball™: MLB PRO SPIRIT, including its “STAR WATCH” system. In “STAR WATCH,”, eBaseball™: MLB PRO SPIRIT users will predict and vote for a ballplayer according to the theme of each month. After the collective vote is tallied, nominated players will appear in-game with power-ups based on their performance in real-world regular season games. What happens during regular season MLB games directly impacts the virtual ballparks in eBaseball™: MLB PRO SPIRIT creating an enjoyable and interactive experience for MLB enthusiasts and video game fans alike. Also planned are in-game events linked to the All-Star Ballot Voting to help determine who will play in the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard each July.

Since 2016, KONAMI has continuously worked to expand and revitalize esports by holding national tournaments for the PAWAFURU PUROYAKYU series. In 2017, KONAMI started using esports for regional promotion by partnering with events such as the Ehime e-baseball Tournament, a cultural program of the Ehime Kokutai (Ehime National Athletic Meet). Since 2018, KONAMI has been hosting a professional esports league in collaboration with Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and they have been working with the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) to expand the baseball fan base around the world. In the Olympic Virtual Series 2021 and Olympic eSports Series 2023 international tournaments organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the PAWAFURU PUROYAKYU series was used as the competition title.