Millennials of a certain age may have a hidden memory locked away about a sports franchise that has long been dormant.
Backyard Sports from Humungous Entertainment was a cult classic on the computer in the late ’90s and the ’00s. At first, it was just Backyard Baseball with an eclectic group of deeply diverse children. It then evolved into more sports and more athletes.
Future installments of the series added sports such as soccer, football, basketball, and hockey. It also grew to add child versions of major athletes at the time.
For example, the rerelease of Backyard Baseball in 2001 included child versions of a player from every MLB team at the time. This included Randy Johnson, Derek Jeter, and Mike Piazza.
What also made these games fun was each kid was unique in their abilities. From a hillbilly kid who played with no shoes to a chubby kid who could smack the ball farther than most players.
While some of these kids struggled at one sport, they thrived at another. Take Ricky Johnson for example. This awkward kid struggled at baseball, but was one of the best players in soccer.
These games made their way to consoles and largely dried up by 2010 though a reboot did happen in 2015 for mobile. Since then, we haven’t heard much of the franchise.
During the pandemic, the guys at Cespedes Family Barbecue hosted a weekly game simulation and acted as commentators. This is when I realized the franchise needs a comeback.
Sure, it’s easy to say nostalgia is tinting my view of this game, but I want a reboot for a different reason. I want to share it with my kids. Also, the game holds up really well and would work well in this day and age.
These games ignited my love for sports. Each game felt like a kid version of future staples of MLB The Show or Madden, making it easy to get into sports.
I always look fondly back on the times I used to play with my brothers around out old desktop in 1998. Times felt much simpler then.
Giving this franchise a proper reboot would allow me to share this with my kids and further provide something to bond over. Even if that reboot consisted of rereleasing the games in a bundle package, I would be happy.
Sadly, Humungous no longer owns the rights to the franchise. Through a series of sales, the rights sit with a European investment company that went out of business in 2020. Funny enough, Travis and Jason Kelce have expressed interest in buying the rights though that feels more like a pipe dream than anything.
Furthermore, there are licensing issues that come with having major sports teams logos and likeness in a game. Those fees have to only of gone up since the early 2000s.
This is all a shame because Humungous recently released a bundle of its old computer games such as Spy Fox, Pajama Sam, and Putt-Putt.
Still, I can dream and look fondly back on how these games and hope for the best.
What about you? Did you play any Backyard Sports games? Which one was your favorite? Which character was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: Humungous Entertainment (via Medium)
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