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We received an exciting opportunity to speak with Playground Productions CEO Lindsay Barnett about the thrilling return of the Backyard Sports Games. With the release of Backyard Baseball '01 this month, and with more Backyard Sports titles on the way, it was the perfect time to learn about how this former teacher brought the series back. Furthermore, we even got to discuss what's coming in the future, as well as how she secured a licensing deal with the MLB for Backyard Baseball '01. Without further ado, let's dive right in.
Interview: Playground Productions CEO Lindsay Barnett Talks Backyard Sports, MLB Deals, & The Future of the Franchise
For newcomers, Backyard Sports is a series of Sports video games created by Humongous Entertainment. Their debut title, Backyard Baseball (1997), was a hit that was both fun to play and taught kids about the sport of baseball. The games feature a roster of kids, all with different stats, backgrounds, and personalities.
The developers went on to produce more Backyard Baseball games, as well as other sports titles like:
- Backyard Soccer
- Backyard Football
- Backyard Hockey
- Backyard Basketball
Unfortunately, Humongous went defunct in 2013, and the series was in limbo. While we did get to see a couple more titles released in the mid-2010s, the Backyard Sports series faded away for some time.
However, the love the fans had for the series remained. But the games weren't easily available any more, and people didn't have a safe and legal way to own these titles. But thanks to Lindsay and the Playground Productions team, we're fortunate to say that's not the case anymore.
Massimo: How's everything going?
Lindsay Barnett (CEO & Founder – Playground Sports): “Great! We were actually just at the MLB All-Star game, and it was awesome! It was my first All-Star experience for the MLB, and I loved it.”
Massimo: Awesome to hear that. Definitely a lot of Baseball stuff going on for Playground Productions, and it started last year with Backyard Baseball '97. Now, we've got Backyard Baseball '01. How did this journey all begin?
Lindsay: “These were my favorite games growing up. My family had a big computer, and my brother and I would play various computer games on it. Backyard Baseball, football, soccer, and all of the backyard games were my favorites.
I was an elementary school teacher for eight years and during COVID when we were remote teaching, and I was looking for great, fun things to recommend to my students. A lot of the things they were playing to pass the time at home were overly violent or inappropriate.
And so I was like ‘How about Backyard Sports?', and they were nowhere to be found. So, at that point, I kind of really shifted my mission to be like ‘let's bring these games back, because these are the types of games that kids should be playing and families should be playing together. I was able to get the rights to them, and I'd bring them back.”
Massimo: Why Backyard Sports? More specifically, why start with Backyard Baseball '97?
Lindsay: “Backyard Baseball ['97] was a natural fit to start with because it was the most popular game from the series. It's what people associate with the brand most. I think also for me, Backyard Baseball 1997 was the first game of the franchise that I played and most kids played, and that's what made me fall in love with these characters.
This is 15 boys and 15 girls of equal playing ability. For someone like me, who was a really sporty girl, this was the game that I could see myself in. I've been so surprised that other games haven't really incorporated this type of even playing field. And this was done ahead of its time.
And you know, there really haven't been other games like this since, and so I just thought this franchise needs to come back. It's not just important for the millennial fans to get to play the game of their childhood, but it's really important for kids because these games were actually a part of an educational brand.
People don't know that, but Humongous Entertainment was an edutainment brand, and the purpose of these games was to actually teach the rules of sports. I really believe that now, having accessible games that kids can play not only gets them to have fun playing video games, but also gets them to be fans of the sport.
Maybe they're going outside to play catch with their mom or dad, or maybe they're going to go and make up their own sport with their friends in the backyard. So, to me, that's what this brand kind of does, especially being able to have something that's intergenerational. And you can have parents and kids having the same love of this brand, it's just an incredible time.”
Massimo: Who were some of your characters growing up?
Lindsay: “For me, obviously Pablo Sanchez was my first pick. Still my first pick. I loved him because I was really little and he's like, one of the littlest characters in the game. And he is obviously the greatest athlete of all time across all sports.
I love Keisha Philips. Keisha is one of my greatest hitters. She's a must-have on my team then and on my team now. Outside of the players, Sunny and Vinnie are so funny to me. The banter back and forth with them − having Sunny be so serious about her craft, and Vinnie be so out of pocket with how his comedy is − kind of reminds of me like Shaq and Kenny.”
Massimo: What was it like to secure a licensing deal with the MLB and bring real stars back in Backyard Baseball '01?
Lindsay: “The MLB was, and is, an incredible partner to work with. They were part of the original game, and they came back to this brand so quickly because we share this goal of getting families to be interested in baseball. This has been an incredible way to do that. It's a funny game, it's really celebrating the joy of play.
Not everybody has to be a Shohei Ohtani to enjoy baseball. There are all sorts of different characters and personalities. So it's really fun to be able to play this game and play with your favorite or local team. I certainly was when I was playing in 2001 just as a second grader. I always chose the Cubs and put Sammy Sosa on my team.
Not only did I love having Sammy on my team, I started to learn about all these other players. I don't want Derek Jeter on the Yankees, I want him on my team! I remember asking my mom and dad to go to a Cubs-Yankees game because I loved Derek Jeter in the game. That was the time I got to see both of them [Jeter & Sosa] on the same field.
I think things like that are really fun with 2001 bringing all these characters.”
Massimo: Bringing these games back is no simple task either. You've been working with Mega Cat Studio, who developed some great games over the years. How has it been working with them to bring these titles back?
Lindsay: “It has been amazing. One of the reasons why we chose Mega Cast was they have their own proprietary technology to reverse engineer without the CD-ROM or without the source code. We don't have any source code for these retro titles. I wish I could know what happened to them, whether they've been destroyed or lost.
We've reached out to so many of the original programmers and developers, but we cannot find any of the source code. Mega Cat is really interested in preserving these titles, not only for the fans, but for the history of these types of games. It's very important to preserve them.
And so, they've been able to reverse engineer and make them playable, and actually improve upon them. There were a lot of the original bugs from 2001, and they've been able to improve on modern systems.
We just love working with them, and we are actually in production on a brand new backyard sports title with them as well. Can't tell you much about that, but we're very excited about how that is going to be.”
Massimo: But I think you have a few other upcoming games on Steam that we might be able to talk about, right?
Lindsay: “Yes. So all six retro titles will be coming out by the end of this year.
We have Backyard Baseball 1997, which we had on PC first on Steam. And then we were able to make it playable on mobile, then on Switch and PlayStation 5. So that was very exciting. Backyard Soccer '98 came out on Steam, and we're working on mobile as well.
Backyard Football '99 is coming out this Fall, which I'm very excited about. That was one of my favorites as a kid, because it really made me fall in love with football. All of a sudden, I was on the flag football team in elementary school.
Backyard Baseball '01 just came out on Steam, as well as on mobile devices. That's with the MLB teams and 28 of the original pro players. And then Backyard Basketball '01 and Backyard Hockey '02 are coming. So a lot of titles are coming this year, and we honestly just want to preserve the original games for the fans.”
Massimo: Is the goal to get Backyard Sports onto as many platforms as possible?
Lindsay: “Yeah. It's been amazing because all of these retro titles have brought the original fans. And now original fans are introducing it to the new generation of players. So it's really exciting because we have these two audiences of adults and their kids.
I just went to the MLB All-Star games, and so many families were coming up to me and telling me about how they were playing it together. Some of the kids actually learned about it from places like Dude Perfect, who posted it on their gaming channel. And a lot of streamers have been playing it and getting kids to know about it as well.
It's been an awesome time, and I just can't wait for all of these games to come out, because I can really see the joy of the game come back.”
Massimo: Have you had any former students contact you since you found Playground Productions?
Lindsay: “I will tell you that the worst part of not teaching anymore is that I can't keep in contact with all of my old students. I taught over 300 kids in my teaching career, and I miss them all so much. I want them to know what I'm doing and that I'm thinking about them. So much of what I'm doing is for them.”
Massimo: I think that, even though it's the same classic title from the 90s, it translates so well into the modern era, especially with social media.
Lindsay: “It's great that you recognized that, because I actually find it's one of the funniest games to stream. It's not a professional game where the best of the best are playing. These are kids, and so there are errors, there are bloopers, and there are some kids who are really good.
Some kids aren't so good, but they all have interesting personalities and their taunts. I find that, with most sports games, people are picking the very best team and trying to win with them. We [the Backyard Sports community] have a lot of people who just pick the worst team to see if they can win with them.
There's just so much personality packed into these games that it is so funny to watch an adult or professional athlete play this game and have errors and bloopers. I love watching that.”
Massimo: Where can fans keep up with Playground Productions/Backyard Sports and stay updated with all the latest?
Lindsay: “Backyardsports.com is our website. We have a newsletter and links to all of the different games, and where to play them.”
In addition to their website, feel free to follow the official Backyard Sports social channels:
Lindsay also noted that people should definitely subscribe to their YouTube channel, which might feature some “good surprises”. Playground Productions has a lot more in the works, so stay tuned for any announcements.
Massimo: Is there anything else you'd like to say for our readers?
Lindsay: “In addition to Backyard Baseball '01 coming out, we're actually doing a few different activations with MLB Teams.”
Last Sunday, Backyard Sports and the beloved Pablo Sanchez made an appearance at Citi Field with the Mets. Interestingly enough, the team went 4-0 since Sanchez attended the game.
“Then we're going to the Pittsburgh Pirates Stadium,” Lindsay continued. “And we'll be having a full Backyard Baseball night. They're doing free T-shirts for fans, and Pablo will be there. We might be doing some first pitch stuff, so lots of exciting things. I love getting to involve both the fans from different communities, and of course, the MLB.”
Next stop… PITTSBURGH 🟨⬛️
Join us this Friday, July 25th at PNC Park with the @Pirates ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/i8n8yN1f8a
— Backyard Sports (@_BackyardSports) July 22, 2025
Overall, that wraps up our interview with Playground Productions CEO Lindsay Barnett on the Backyard Sports Franchise. As a fan of the series, I'm grateful to Lindsay, Playground Productions, and Mega Cat Studios for bringing these titles back.
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