Nippon Professional Baseball is ready to take a swing at esports.

This fall, the league will join forces with Konami to launch the Pawapuro Pro League, an esports league that will bring together pro baseball and pro gamers. Players in the league will compete using the 2018 edition of Konami's "Jikkyo Powerful Pro Yakyu" series.

"Professional baseball and the 12 NPB clubs view esports as a big chance," NPB commissioner Atsushi Saito said during a news conference with Konami Digital Entertainment president Hideki Hayakawa on Thursday afternoon at Konami's headquarters in Tokyo. "This ebaseball will give fans a new way to enjoy and engage in baseball and sports."