Step aside College Football 25, Backyard Sports is back

Let me take you back to a simpler time at Steele Stadium with Pablo Sanchez and his friends Kenny Kawaguchi, Stephanie Morgan, Mikey Thomas, Achmed Khan, Jocinda Smith, Pete Wheeler and Angela Delvecchio — the list of legends goes on.

The beloved video game series started as Backyard Baseball in 1997 before expanding into soccer, basketball, football and hockey, rebranded as Backyard Sports. Then they partnered with the MLB, NBA, MLS, NHL and WNBA to include professional athletes in kid form.

Backyard Sports was the go-to video game for kids (and adults hanging on to their childhood) in the 90s and 00s, with the final console version released in 2010. There was one mobile app run of Backyard Baseball and Football in 2015, but the series as we once knew it has been gone for a decade and a half with the memories of that debut PC version in 1997 approaching three decades old.

Until now.

Step aside, EA Sports College Football 25. You’re sharing nostalgia hits with the Backyard Sports franchise making its return “in the coming months,” according to Playground Productions via Sports Illustrated.

The series released its official reveal trailer on Tuesday:

“We’re incredibly excited to reintroduce Backyard Sports to a new generation of players,” Chris Waters, chief product officer at Playground Productions, told Sports Illustrated. “We’re taking great care to preserve the look and feel that made the original games so special while updating them with modern features and gameplay that today’s audience expects. I can’t wait for fans to see what we’re building on the Playground.”

The BackyardSports.com website is back up and running with additional announcements expected in the near future, the franchise also launching merchandise, film and television mediums.

“Backyard Sports is more than just a game; it’s a cherished part of childhood for millions of people,” Lindsay Barnett, founder and CEO of Playground Productions, added. “I look at media as the largest classroom in the world. As such, our goal is to produce meaningful content that not only entertains but also educates and inspires. The return of Backyard Sports is the perfect embodiment of that goal.”

Is now the appropriate time to announce a scolding hot take? Of course it is.

Pound for pound, Pablo Sanchez is the greatest video game athlete of this generation. Argue with a wall.

Welcome back, Backyard Sports! You’ve been missed.