Playground Productions and Mega Cat Studios' announced yesterday that they will bringing Humungous Entertainment's classic sports title Backyard Baseball '01 to Steam and mobile devices (iOS and Android) on July 8th.
Backyard Baseball '01 was the fourth installment in the Backyard Sports series and the first to feature Major League Baseball players and team.
For this new rerelease, therefore, Playground Productions and Mega Cat Studios has once again partnered with the MLB, to try to bring back as many of these players as possible, with 28 of the original 31 set to reappear, including Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Cal Ripken, Jr.
Something we should probably note is that this isn't the first Backyard Sports game that Playground Productions and Mega Cat Studios have brought back over the last year. Since the company first announced it was planning on resurrecting the Backyard Sports series back in August 2024, it has also successfully launch Backyard Baseball '97 and Backyard Soccer '98 on Steam, with the former title also getting versions for Nintendo Switch, PS5, Android, and iOS.
In a press release, Lindsay Barnett, the CEO of Playground Productions, wrote about the MLB partnership: “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. We can’t wait for fans to relive the joy of building their dream team with both our beloved original characters and baseball’s greatest pros from that unforgettable era.”
Jamie Leece, MLB’s senior vice president of gaming & virtual reality, meanwhile, added, "“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."
You can wishlist the game now on Steam.