In the world of video games, what’s old is new again.
While there’s seemingly always been a market for retro gaming, sports video games have seen a rise in reboots in recent years. Last month, EA Sports brought back its popular college football franchise following an 11-year hiatus with the release of College Football 25. And now, some social media sleuths have discovered that Backyard Baseball appears poised to make a return of its own.
For the uninitiated, Backyard Baseball was a popular franchise in the late-1990s and early-2000s. The baseball game featuring child-like players gained popularity for its simplicity, emphasis on diversity (the game featured players of different gender, race and disabilities) and incorporation of real-life MLB stars.
Following its initial release on Macintosh and Windows in 1997, the franchise released new installments on a near-yearly basis from 2000-2010. The last edition of the franchise — Backyard Sports: Baseball 2015 — released in 2015 in what seemingly marked the end of the popular video game.
That thinking, however, changed earlier this week when MLB ambassador Caitlin Hendricks uncovered a social media page titled “BackyardSportsOfficial.” As of Wednesday, the page has two posts, including a Backyard Sports logo in line with previous iterations and a familiar cartoon glove catching a baseball.
The conspiracy thickens and are the Kelce brothers out on Backyard Sports?! #backyardbaseball #backyardsports pic.twitter.com/IOOAck7fXy
— Caitlin Hendricks (@caitlinhendrix) August 13, 2024
Obviously, anyone can make an Instagram page and put together some graphic designs for it, but additional social media sleuthing appears to confirm that this is legit. Daniel Amoia of The Hockey Writer noted that the LinkedIn page for Ari Pinchot, who owns the IP for Backyard Sports, includes plans to revive the franchise with not just baseball, but several other sports. And it also shouldn’t be ignored that it’s an MLB-affiliated ambassador driving most of the attention — and excitement — regarding the social media page.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.