The Japanese Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase started with Shohei Ohtani in a generic “K” jersey, announcing the latest game in the Pawapuro series. Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2026-2027 is the name, continuing the recent trend of a new game every other year. The game is planned for release in summer 2026 for PlayStation 4 and Switch.
Trailer
Features
- “Parallel All-Stars,” a throwback-focused Success Mode that has you hopping between scenarios and uniting characters from throughout the series’ history. The trailer includes imagery that looks straight out of the series’ Super Famicom and N64 games.
- A second success mode where you play as Shohei Ohtani and attempt to become world champion (no World Baseball Classic license mentioned, and few details on the mode itself).
- Eikan Nine, the high school management mode, returns, and new customization options for the team managers were shown off.
- Pawafes returns, with a story illuminating the origins of the first ever Pawa Festival.
Rumors and Speculation
The teaser site for the new game lists Toho Co. among the trademark notices towards the bottom. Toho own the rights for Godzilla as well as several popular anime. Characters from several Toho anime have appeared as collaboration content in the Pawapuro mobile game, such as Frieren, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Haikyu. It seems likely that some of these characters will make their way into the mainline game this time around.
The Pawafes mode seems to be more like its old self, a roguelike-like-like baseball game where you defeat teams and recruit their players. The last game’s board game-ish Pawafes variant was interesting but mostly unpopular.
Yes, there’s still no English version
As usual, there was chatter in the English-speaking Pawapuro fan community about the potential for the game coming back to North America. But there was no announcement along those lines today.
Most of the hope around an English version was pinned on this year’s World Baseball Classic. Unfortunately, the WBC is conspicuously absent in today’s Pawapuro announcement. Surely, if Konami had the rights, it would have appeared in the game, so I can’t hold out hope to see the tournament in either their other series Pro Yakyuu Spirits or in its own WBC-set spin-off. MLB The Show seems to be the sole home of WBC gameplay (unfortunately limited to Diamond Dynasty mode…).
For all the hope that Konami’s graphical great leap forward with Pro Yakyuu Spirits 2024-2025 would either lead to an English release or inspire The Show to take a step forward, neither has happened yet.