The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and Konami Digital Entertainment (KONAMI) are teaming up once again for the Olympic Esports Series 2023 with the recently published WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS set to feature in the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) global virtual and simulated sports competition.
The Olympic Esports Series 2023 qualifying rounds for baseball will take place online starting on 13 March 2023, first in Japan then followed by the rest of the world two weeks later from 27 March. The qualifiers will rank participants by points, where everyone will have a chance to earn their way to the finals in Singapore.
The series will culminate in live, in-person finals, with players competing to qualify for the Olympic Esports Finals 2023, which will take place during the Olympic Esports Week 2023 in Singapore from 22-25 June.
WBSC Executive Director Michael Schmidt commented: “We are delighted for baseball to be part of this new Olympic event and to again be partnering with one of the world’s leading gaming publishers, KONAMI, to deliver a world-class Esports competition for baseball.
The WBSC realises the huge potential of Esports for engaging new audiences, and we continue to work tirelessly to develop and innovate in this space. We are ready to bring the very best of baseball to the Olympic Esports Series and the finals in Singapore through this exciting event.”
Konami Digital Entertainment Representative Director, President Hideki Hayakawa said: “We are delighted to be able to contribute to the promotion of baseball through our participation in IOC’s Olympic Esports Series 2023. KONAMI is always a proud supporter of development within the WBSC eBASEBALL™ community. By collaborating with the WBSC in their vision to raise the influence of eBASEBALL™ and baseball and softball community globally, KONAMI will continue to promote and support the sustainable development of eBASEBALL™ with the WBSC.”
Speaking at the announcement, David Lappartient, Chair of the IOC Esports Liaison Group, said: “The Olympic Movement brings people together in peaceful competition. The Olympic Esports Series 2023 is a continuation of that, with the ambition of creating more spaces to play for both players and fans of elite competition. We look forward to witnessing some of the world’s best compete on the global stage, as well as exploring together shared opportunities and lessons - across health and wellbeing, training and innovation.”
The Olympic Esports Series is the evolved format of the Olympic Virtual Series that the IOC launched in 2021 for which the recently published WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS will serve as the official platform for baseball.
The Olympic Esports Series 2023 also features virtual sports archery, chess, cycling, dance, motorsport, sailing, taekwondo and tennis.
