Grab your yellow ball cap and some gum because the Backyard Sports crew that was a staple in kids’ computer games in the ’90s and early 2000s is making a comeback in upcoming video games, movies and TV shows.
Playground Productions, a children’s and family entertainment company founded by former elementary school teacher Lindsay Barnett, plans to relaunch the popular franchise “in the coming months,” according to an announcement Tuesday. The production company also plans to A trailer has been released teasing the game’s return.The episode also features several characters from the original series.
Stephanie Morgan is shown blowing her signature pink bubble, Akmed Khan is wearing oversized headphones, and red-haired speedster Pete Wheeler is first. Baseball player Keisha Phillips is shown lounging in the kids’ treehouse, and a dramatic gust of wind blowing leaves across the baseball field signals the appearance of Pablo Sanchez, the greatest backyard baseball player, who is staring at Morgan in anticipation of her pitch.
The re-release will mark the first installment in the Backyard Sports franchise since the mobile app was released in 2015. The game’s history dates back to 1997 when the original Backyard Baseball was available exclusively as a PC game, and 38 games have been released across multiple sports (including football, basketball, hockey, and soccer) and gaming consoles.
“We are incredibly excited to reintroduce Backyard Sports to a new generation of gamers,” said Chris Waters, Chief Product Officer at Playground Productions. “We are 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 audiences expect. I can’t wait for fans to see what we are building for Playground.”
Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jason Kelce and current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Travis Kelce are among the millions of Backyard Sports fans, and the brothers spoke about their love of the games during an episode of the “New Heights” podcast in February. Jason said he was “secretly looking to see if anyone had the rights to Backyard Football and Backyard Baseball” because he wanted to buy them to revive the franchise.
“That was the best game ever, it was so much fun, it was so exciting,” he said.
Although the Kelce brothers are not involved in this edition of the Backyard Sports saga, it looks like Sanchez and his teammates will be back in action soon.
(Image: Courtesy of Playground Productions)
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