When Hideo Nomo joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995 as the first MLB player from Japan in three decades, his Rookie of the Year-winning campaign inspired “Nomo-mania” in Southern California. Ever since, Nippon Professional Baseball has routinely exported some of the most talented and popular baseball players in the world.
Now, video-game publisher Konami will bring the entirety of Japan’s domestic league to American baseball fans. The company is releasing a worldwide version of its NPB-focused eBaseball Pro Spirit 2026 this week to more than 200 countries and regions, including the U.S. The full simulation-style baseball game had only been available in Japan since its March debut.
This is the first NPB-licensed video game launched by Konami for a global audience.
The expanded rollout offers a business growth opportunity for both Konami and NPB, putting the domestic league’s 12 clubs and hundreds of participating players center stage for a brand-new audience. A prior iteration of eBaseball Pro Spirit picked up internet buzz in the U.S. despite not being sold outside Japan, a sign the video game series could have an audience well beyond Tokyo.
“We believe that delivering the unique appeal of NPB—including its distinctive playing styles, strategies, and fan culture—to audiences around the world through Konami’s digital content can create meaningful opportunities for people to engage with Japanese baseball culture,” Tatsuhiko Yamamoto, an executive director at Konami, said in an email.
