Iconic ‘Backyard Sports’ Franchise Making Triumphant Return

Plenty of arguments can be made for the greatest sports franchises in video games.

Madden has longevity and name recognition. “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” made skateboarding mainstream. “Forza Motorsport” is racing simulation perfection.

Still, nothing puts a smile on a ’90s kid’s face quite like the “Backyard Sports” series.

Originally developed by Humongous Entertainment, the series debuted in 1997 with Backyard Baseball, but would eventually include other sports like soccer, football, basketball, and hockey. It would also introduce children to iconic characters like Kenny Kawaguchi, Pete Wheeler, Keisha Phillips, and, of course, Pablo Sanchez.

Now, for the first time in almost a decade, children of all ages can play with these friends once again.

Playground Productions, a company led by founder and Chief Executive Officer Lindsay Barnett and Chief Product Officer Christopher Waters, has announced that they will be reviving the “Backyard Sports” series in the coming months.

“We’re incredibly excited to reintroduce Backyard Sports to a new generation of players,” Waters said in a statement. “We’re taking great care to preserve the look and feel that made the original games so special while updating them with modern features and gameplay that today’s audience expects. I can’t wait for fans to see what we’re building on the Playground.”

“Backyard Sports is more than just a game; it’s a cherished part of childhood for millions of people,” Barnett said. “I look at media as the largest classroom in the world. As such, our goal is to produce meaningful content that not only entertains but also educates and inspires. The return of Backyard Sports is the perfect embodiment of that goal.”

This new era of “Backyard Sports” will go beyond video games, venturing into film, television, merchandise, and more.

Popularity surged for the series in a wave of nostalgia, with multiple streamers and celebrities playing or reminiscing about the title. This includes Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce on an episode of their “New Heights Podcast.”

“I don’t even know if I want to mention this,” Jason Kelce said. “I’ve secretly been looking into seeing if anybody holds the rights to Backyard Baseball and Backyard Football because I want to buy it and get this thing going again.”

While Tom Dierberger of Sports Illustrated confirmed the Kelce brothers aren’t linked to the reboot, there is hopefully a chance that a collection of professional athletes could be included in the games, especially since multiple “Backyard Sports” titles included iconic athletes like Lisa Leslie, Tom Brady, Cal Ripken Jr., and many more.

It would be fantastic to see modern superstars like LeBron James, Caitlin Clark, and Patrick Mahomes playing in the backyard with all of our childhood favorites.

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