Today, Konami announced that it has been selected as a global sponsor of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The World Baseball Classic will run from March 5 to March 17, 2026, featuring 20 countries and territories competing in intense battles across four global cities: Tokyo, San Juan, Houston, and Miami. This is the sixth such iteration of the international tournament, and the second time (previously in 2023) that Konami has served as a sponsor of the event.
While Konami is best known for publishing action titles like Metal Gear, Castlevania, and Silent Hill, it actually has quite a history with baseball. The PAWAPURO baseball series has been a flagship title for Konami Digital Entertainment since its debut as a home console game in 1994.
In the 30 years since its debut, Power Pros has sold over 26.3 million copies across console games (as of the end of December 2025) and has surpassed 53 million downloads on mobile (as of November 2025). Konami also serves as the publisher for Professional Baseball Spirits, a real professional baseball game that has been around for over 20 years since the release of its first console title, Professional Baseball Spirits 2004, in 2004.
Since 2015, the mobile game Professional Baseball Spirits A has been available, with cumulative downloads exceeding 70 million (as of February 2026).
For more information on Konami, including upcoming titles like Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, Silent Hill f, Silent Hill: Townfall, and Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, be sure to check back to Simulation Daily.
