Konami released a smartphone game called PAWAFURU PUROYAKYU Eikan Nine Cross Road in September. It is a baseball simulation game, where you play as a high school baseball manager, training and instructing your team members.
Two things stand out, from a business standpoint.
First, it comes from a console title. Konami has arranged a popular game mode from its box type product, to a free to play, live service game. They are creating for both smartphones and game consoles, which means this will be a cross-platform title.
Second, a popular virtual YouTuber agency, Nijisanji, has been featuring this game mode every summer. The virtual YouTubers play the game through a 3 day tournament, with over 200,000 simultaneous viewers.
If this game succeeds, it can be a milestone for other console publishers to provide live service games from their console IP.
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