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.
BACKYARD SPORTS SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: @backyardsportsofficial
TikTok: @backyardsports
YouTube: @backyardsports
PLAYGROUND PRODUCTIONS SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: @playground.productions
MEDIA INQUIRIES
Please contact playgroundproductions@id-pr.com for press inquiries.
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ABOUT PLAYGROUND PRODUCTIONS
Playground Productions is a children's and family company focused on making best-in-class film, television, digital media, and video games. Playground's founder Lindsay Barnett spent close to a decade teaching second grade in a Chicago Public School in addition to manufacturing educational products. Playground’s content aims to inspire a love of learning and play. By leveraging the best technology, talent, and character IP, Playground creates content that celebrates the spirit of play, meets children where they are developmentally, and allows kids to be kids.
ABOUT BACKYARD SPORTS
Backyard Sports is a nostalgic brand for the whole family, capturing the feeling of the 90s. The franchise features over 30 diverse characters and is one of the only brands where boys and girls share the same athletic abilities. The Backyard Sports content is centered around everyday neighborhood children playing sports together. The charm of the games was due in large part to the Backyard kids embodying the same quirks and humor as seen in children’s little league, little dribblers or pee wee football.
ABOUT MEGA CAT STUDIOS
Founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mega Cat Studios strives to deliver unforgettable experiences for gamers of all generations. With our hearts firmly planted somewhere in the 1990s and gazes set on the future, our team combines a passion for crafting new retro classics with an unwavering commitment to delivering compelling current-gen content.