Playground Productions announces Steam and Mobile launch of Backyard Baseball '01 on July 8th

One of the first sports franchises I ever played through video games was the Backyard series from Humongous Entertainment. It taught the basics of games like Baseball, Football, and Soccer but with a childlike wonder and fun.

Now, years later, Backyard Baseball is back in our lives with 28/31 Original Players coming back including Pablo Sanchez, Stephanie Morgan, and more!

Here's some words from the new team behind the Backyard Sports Franchise!

Following the chart-topping success of the relaunch of Backyard Baseball ’97, children's and family entertainment company Playground Productions will launch Backyard Baseball ‘01 on July 8th on Steam and mobile devices. As part of the announcement, 28 of the original 31 MLB Pros are returning to the game including Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Cal Ripken, Jr.  Mega Cat Studios, which developed the other Backyard games relaunched over the past year with Playground Productions, will develop ’01 as well.

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.

“We’re honored to partner with MLB to bring this iconic game to modern gaming devices for the first time. Backyard Baseball ‘01 was a game-changer in many ways—introducing some of the sport’s biggest legends into the Backyard universe," said Lindsay Barnett, CEO, Playground Productions. "We can’t wait for fans to relive the joy of building their dream team with both our original characters and baseball’s greatest pros from that unforgettable era.”

“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. 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,” said Jamie Leece, MLB’s Senior Vice President, Gaming & Virtual Reality.

The news comes on the heels of the return of Backyard Baseball ’97 on Steam, mobile devices, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5. Upon its release earlier this year, Backyard Baseball ’97 quickly became a global top selling sports game on Steam and Android, and the Apple mobile game charted as the #1 paid game in sports, family and overall games on the Apple App store. In November, the company also relaunched Backyard Soccer ’98 on Steam to chart topping success. 

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