It’s a great time to be a baseball fan with the fall classic right around the corner. No, not THAT fall classic. The classic Backyard Baseball game returning to Steam in just a few weeks.
Backyard Baseball ’97 is the original game in the franchise that launched for PC all the way back in 1997, now on Steam and “updated for modern systems.” That means Pablo Sanchez, Pete Wheeler, Achmed Khan, Angela Delvecchio, and the entire Backyard squad is back.
The point-and-click sports game started an entire franchise, which spun off to include other sports like basketball and hockey, and eventually partnered up with pro sports leagues to include the likenesses of popular athletes like Derek Jeter and more.
Just last month, Playground Productions revealed it was bringing the Backyard Sports franchise back and also expand the IP into film, TV, and merchandise. Backyard Sports ’97 comes to Steam on Oct. 10.
“Backyard Sports is more than just a game; it’s a cherished part of childhood for millions of people,” Backyard Sports creator and Playground Productions founder and CEO Lindsay Barnett told Variety on Aug. 20. “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.”
The OG BB game features a quick pick-up game mode, single game mode, and a Season mode where you pick your players, customize your team, and play 14 games before heading into the playoffs against the CPU.
But with new Steam integration, Backyard Baseball ’97 will include global leaderboards where players can track home runs, strikeouts, grand slams, season wins, and more to see where they stack up with friends and players around the world.
Unfortunately, the game will not support controllers or Steam Deck play because the developers reviving the franchise do not have access to the source code. But it will run “buttery smooth” and have Steam achievements as well.
