Video games, movies and more

Pablo Sanchez and the rest of the ‘Backyard Sports’ crew return as Playground Productions has announced the relaunch of the beloved video game franchise, which will now also expand into multiple verticals such as film, television, merchandise and more. The company assures fans that the games will “return bigger and better than ever, while staying true to what made the franchise so special.”

“’Backyard Sports’ is more than just a game; it is a beloved part of childhood for millions of people,” Lindsay Barnett, creator of Backyard Sports and founder and CEO of Playground Productions, Lindsay Barnett said in a statement. “I consider media to be the largest classroom in the world. That’s why 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.”

The ‘Backyard Sports’ franchise began in 1997 with the release of ‘Backyard Baseball’, originally developed by Humongous Entertainment and published by Atari. The series grew to include a handful of other sports with the launch of ‘Backyard Basketball’, ‘Backyard Football’, ‘Backyard Soccer’, ‘Backyard Hockey’ and ‘Backyard Skateboarding’. The franchise hasn’t released a new video game since 2015.

“We are incredibly excited to reintroduce ‘Backyard Sports’ to a new generation of players,” said Chris Waters, Chief Product Officer of Playground Productions, in his own statement. “We’re committed to maintaining the look and feel that made the original games so special, while updating them with modern features and gameplay that today’s audiences expect. I can’t wait for the fans to see what we’re building at the Playground.”

The franchise is known for its original characters, such as Pablo Sanchez, many of whom remain a childhood touchstone for later millennials. Playground Productions said it hopes the new games “will resonate with today’s children, while honoring the nostalgia of their parents and uniting generations.”

“We are excited to begin this next chapter of ‘Backyard Sports’ led by Playground Productions,” said producers Ari Pinchot and Stuart Avi Savitsky in a joint statement.

Watch the trailer announcing the relaunch of “Backyard Sports” in the video below.