Latest news with #BackyardBaseball'01
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Backyard Baseball 2001 Game Returns With 28 Original MLB Stars
Backyard Baseball '01 is set to re-launch next week on PC and mobile devices, featuring MLB marks and 28 of the 31 players who appeared in the original version, the franchise's new owners announced Monday. The Backyard Sports series has been revived under the Playground Productions label after extensive efforts to track down the rights to the groundbreaking PC titles and redevelop the original code. The newest game—available July 8—also required locating the pros who initially appeared in the game. Advertisement More from Some were easy to connect with. Others were harder to find. Playground Productions CEO Lindsay Barnett said the team reached former Marlin Álex González through players he's currently coaching, for instance. '2001 is already some time ago, and some of these players don't live in the U.S. Some of them don't have managers or agents or social media,' she said. 'So we got creative.' In general, Barnett said, players were eager to lend their IP rights once again. In some cases, they leapt at the opportunity to show their kids, or grandkids, how big of a star they once were. Three players ultimately declined to participate this time around: Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas and Barry Bonds. Bonds—notably—has not appeared in MLB video games since opting out of the MLB Players Association licensing agreement in 2003. Advertisement Playground Productions also got buy-in from MLB, allowing for renewed rivalries such as Melonheads vs. Marlins. 'It just could not have been easier [working with MLB],' Barnett said. 'They really love this brand.' She added that the league recognizes how valuable the original releases were to the sport's efforts to grow. 'There were actually kids who learned about baseball through a very simple point-and-click game,' Barnett said. 'Now that we get to bring it back, we can start to capture even more kids who can become baseball fans for life.' Recently released versions, including Backyard Baseball '97 and Backyard Soccer '98, have found success on gaming platform Steam and iOS, largely by entertaining nostalgic millennials, including those hoping to share their childhood favorites with a new generation. Backyard Baseball '97 also recently came to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. Mega Cat Studios has been responsible for game development. Advertisement Playground Productions is also creating an entirely new entry in the series. Though the group has not announced which sport it will feature first, Barnett said the company intends to continue the crossovers between original characters and real-life stars—that is, assuming she can get players on board. In addition to Backyard mainstays such as Pablo Sanchez and Pete Wheeler, the MLB players available in the upcoming 2001 re-release are: Jeff Bagwell Carlos Beltrán Jeromy Burnitz Jose Canseco Marty Cordova Jason Giambi Álex González Juan González Nomar Garciaparra Shawn Green Vladimir Guerrero Tony Gwynn Derek Jeter Randy Johnson Chipper Jones Jason Kendall Barry Larkin Kenny Lofton Mark McGwire Raul Mondesi Mike Piazza Cal Ripken Jr. Alex Rodriguez Iván Rodríguez Curt Schilling Sammy Sosa Mo Vaughn Larry Walker Best of Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Backyard Baseball '01' to Re-Release in July From Playground Productions
'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. More from Variety Remastered 'Backyard Baseball '97' Heads to Switch, PS5 (Gaming News Roundup) Next-Gen 'Backyard Sports' Game in the Works Pablo Sanchez Returns! 'Backyard Sports' Video Game Franchise Set to Relaunch and Expand Into Film, Television and More 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.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
Fox Sports
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox Sports
A-Rod and Jeter Are Back For the Relaunch of Backyard Baseball '01
Derek Jeter. Alex Rodriguez. Pablo Sanchez. All three of baseball's most iconic figures will be playable in the relaunch of Backyard Baseball '01 this summer. Backyard Baseball '01, the follow-up to the beloved Backyard Baseball '97, will be relaunched on Steam and mobile devices on July 8 by children's and family entertainment company Playground Productions. This comes after Backyard Baseball '97 was released for the first time on consoles in June. In addition to FOX Sports' own Jeter and Rodriguez, 28 of the original 31 MLB Pros are returning to the game, including Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Cal Ripken, Jr. Backyard Baseball '01 will also include official MLB marks, including usage of individual team logos, names and likeness. Mega Cat Studios, which developed the other Backyard games relaunched over the past year with Playground Productions, including Backyard Soccer '98, will develop '01 as well. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
