It’s right in the title, folks. Classic sports title Backyard Baseball ’97 is coming to modern hardware by way of a Steam port, out October 10.
Originally developed by now-defunct studio Humongous Entertainment (best known for legendary children’s series Putt-Putt and Pajama Sam), Backyard Baseball ’97 was the first in a long line of annual 2D baseball games centered around kids at the sandlot. Though the series went on to feature real-world baseball players like David Ortiz and Albert Pujols, Backyard Baseball ’97 sticks to classic fictional characters like Pablo Sanchez and Pete Wheeler.
Now, the game is getting a second lease on life by way of Playground Productions, a “children’s and family company focused on making best-in-class film, television, digital media, and video games.”
Backyard Baseball ’97 Steam Trailer and Press Release
Check out the full press release below:
Chicago, IL, September 25, 2024 – Today, Backyard Baseball ‘97 – the nostalgic game series from the iconic video game franchise Backyard Sports – announces its return to fans and is available now to wishlist on Steam. Players can now add Backyard Baseball ‘97 to their wishlist and will be notified about the game’s official drop on October 10 (the anniversary of the first Backyard Baseball game). The remaster is published by Playground Productions, a pioneering full-service production company dedicated to creating best-in-class content for children and families, in partnership with Mega Cat Studios, a video game developer aimed at bringing retro and indie titles directly to the fingertips of gamers, aficionados and enthusiasts alike. With its triumphant return, Backyard Baseball ‘97 is bringing its unique blend of fun and nostalgia to life-long fans and a new generation of gamers.
Originally released in 1997, Backyard Baseball quickly became beloved among players of all ages for its engaging and accessible gameplay, quotable characters, and iconic comedy. “This was my favorite game growing up. While we’re already hard at work on the future of Backyard Sports, we first want to honor the past by restoring the games that started it all for me and so many others – beginning with Backyard Baseball 1997,” said Lindsay Barnett, Founder and CEO of Playground Productions.
With the original source code lost in the years since the 1997 release, Playground Productions has teamed up with Mega Cat Studios to remaster the original titles and bring them to modern devices. Forming a team of avid gamers and Backyard Sports enthusiasts, Mega Cat accomplished a near-impossible feat by hacking the original CD-ROM and developing new game builds to be compatible with current generation PCs. It was a meticulous process that took a considerable amount of time and effort to revitalize the game. Given the intricacies involved in this remaster, Backyard Baseball ‘97 is only compatible with PC devices at this time, but both Mega Cat and Playground Productions are working diligently to ensure Backyard Sports becomes available on multiple platforms moving forward.
“This is just the beginning for Backyard and Mega Cat. We’re so proud of the engineers who worked long hours and overcame many obstacles to bring Backyard Baseball ’97 back to the gaming community,” said Chris Waters, CPO of Playground Productions.
With the successful remaster of Backyard Baseball ‘97, Playground Productions has expanded its strategic partnership with Mega Cat Studios to build out the franchise.
“To say the Mega Cat team is excited about working on the Backyard Sports franchise is an understatement,” said James Deighan, CEO of Mega Cat Studios. “Games with fandoms like Backyard are what Mega Cat was founded upon. It’s hard to type with a baseball glove on, though.”
Backyard Baseball ‘97 will be available for purchase starting October 10, priced at $9.99 via Steam. For more information and to stay updated on future developments, please visit the Backyard Baseball ‘97 Steam page, www.backyardsports.com as well as www.playground-productions.com.
We’re So Back?
The revival of Backyard Baseball ’97 comes following the recent announcement of an all-new Backyard Baseball game, also being handled by Playground (not to be confused with Fable developer Playground Games).
The promise of a Backyard Baseball comeback has many of us thrilled here at The Punished Backlog. As millennials, we grew up on the likes of Spy Fox, Freddi Fish, and—yes—Backyard Baseball.
However, it’s important to keep expectations in check. Humongous Entertainment is long gone, and it remains to be seen whether the teams at Playground and Mega Cat can revitalize what was great about Backyard Baseball all those years ago.
Is this new game an honest effort to bring Backyard back? Or is it a cash grab, designed to target adults longing for a beloved IP and a bit of nostalgia? Given the apparent hoops Mega Cat and Playground went through to remaster the ’97 classic, signs point to the former. We’ll know for sure in due time.
For now, though, we’ve got the OG—and that’s a win.
Backyard Baseball ’97 releases on October 10, and is available to wishlist on Steam starting today.
