“Backyard Baseball ‘01” is back!
On July 8, the relaunched version of the classic sports video game will be released on Steam and mobile devices from developer Mega Cat Studios and “Backyard Sports” rights holder Playground Productions.
In this remake, 28 of the original 31 MLB Pros who were featured in the original “Backyard Baseball ’01” are returning to the game including Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Cal Ripken, Jr.
This announcement comes on the heels of Playground Productions (which got the rights to the original franchise last year and has been working to revive the franchise) and Mega Cat Studios’ re-releasing “Backyard Baseball ’97” earlier this year, preceded by “Backyard Soccer ’98” last November. Following the success “Backyard Baseball ’97” saw on Steam and mobile devices, the game also launched this summer for consoles Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5.
Playground Productions and Mega Cat Studios are currently developing a next-gen “Backyard Sports” game, though Playground Productions CEO Lindsay Barnett won’t confirm yet if that title will be focused on baseball, and further the franchise’s partnership with the MLB: “Well, we haven’t announced anything about what sport our new title is, or if there are multiple sports, or anything of that nature, so you’ll just have to wait and see,” Barnett sid.
Per Playground Productions, “Similar to the remastered ’97 game, the 2001 relaunch will include the classic gameplay for touch and modern PC controls. ‘Backyard Baseball ‘01’ will include official MLB marks, including usage of individual team logos, names and likeness.”
“It’s really exciting, because we had to go through the process of regaining all of the original rights from the game. And so that was the MLB, and then there were 31 professional players, All Stars from that era of baseball,” Barnett said. “And so we had to get all their rights and likenesses back in the game. And the MLB has been so incredibly supportive of this game, and also of just this partnership, which has been really an exciting thing for us, because, personally, this is the game I really became a Cubs fan from. I had played the ’97 version and fell in love with all the characters, but when ’01 came out when I was a little kid, then I was like, ‘Oh, I want to play as the Chicago Cubs,’ and here are all the players that I’m picking on my team. So it’s going to be really fun for original fans to play with their hometown teams or their local teams, but also for kids who are coming to the franchise for the first time to be able to have an incredible team that is with the MLB logos and marks.”
“’Backyard Baseball’ stands out with a special place in so many fans’ memories thanks to its endearing qualities and features that were especially rare for a video game of its time,” MLB’s senior vice president of gaming and virtual reality Jamie Leece said. “We are really excited to play a small part in authenticating this revitalization with MLB marks and look forward to the full circle moment where those who played this beloved game as children can bring it to a new generation in their families and friends.”
