Editing Backyard Sports (section)

==History==
===1997–2005: Under Humongous Entertainment===
The series began in late 1997 when [[Humongous Entertainment]], owned by [[Atari, Inc. (1993–present)|GT Interactive]], created the first game in the franchise: ''[[Backyard Baseball]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1996-07-11|title=COMPANY NEWS;GT INTERACTIVE ACQUIRES HUMONGOUS ENTERTAINMENT (Published 1996)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/11/business/company-news-gt-interactive-acquires-humongous-entertainment.html|access-date=2020-12-31|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Later, GT Interactive was purchased by [[Infogrames]] and was renamed as Infogrames, Inc.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Infogrames Entertainment S.A.|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/infogrames-entertainment-s-a-history/|access-date=2020-12-31|website=Fundinguniverse.com}}</ref> Infogrames allowed Humongous Entertainment to expand the series, and Humongous later developed more titles such as ''[[Backyard Soccer]]'', ''[[Backyard Football]]'', ''[[Backyard Basketball]]'', ''[[Backyard Hockey]]'', and ''Backyard Skateboarding''. Following the buyout by Infogrames, these titles from the ''Backyard'' series were released for game consoles, including the [[GameCube]], [[Game Boy Advance]], [[PlayStation 2]], [[Xbox 360]], and [[Wii]]. In 2003, Infogrames, Inc. was renamed as [[Atari, Inc. (1993–present)|Atari, Inc.]]

===2005–2010: Under Humongous, Inc.===
In August 2005, Atari, Inc. sold Humongous Entertainment to their majority parent [[Atari SA|Infogrames Entertainment SA]] for shares worth {{US$|10.3 million}}. After the sale, Infogrames shuttered Humongous Entertainment and secured the studio's assets to Humongous, Inc., a holding company formed solely for this purpose.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2005-08-28/atari-sells-humongous-to-infogrames-for-10-dot-3-million |title=Atari Sells Humongous to Infogrames for $10.3 Million |date=August 28, 2005 |access-date=January 27, 2014 |publisher=[[Business Week]] |archive-date=September 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923200601/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2005-08-28/atari-sells-humongous-to-infogrames-for-10-dot-3-million |url-status=live}}</ref> With this point, newer ''Backyard Sports'' titles were developed by other studios for consoles and computers, with Atari, Inc. continuing to hold publishing rights to the series under license from Humongous, Inc. In March 2008, Infogrames purchased the remaining shares of Atari, Inc. that they didn't own and renamed itself to Atari SA the following year.<ref name="buyoutapproved">[http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080430/nyw164.html?.v=1 Infogrames Entertainment S.A. and Atari, Inc. Announce Agreement to Merge: Financial News] Yahoo! Finance {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527190525/http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080430/nyw164.html?.v=1 |date=May 27, 2008}}</ref><ref name="buyoutcompleted">{{cite web |url=http://corporate.infogrames.com/infogramesgb/2008/10/infogrames_entertainment_sa_an_1.php |title=Atari GB |publisher=Corporate.infogrames.com |date=October 9, 2008 |access-date=January 3, 2018 |archive-date=February 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219211304/http://corporate.infogrames.com/infogramesgb/2008/10/infogrames_entertainment_sa_an_1.php |url-status=dead}}</ref> The two Atari businesses continued to release entries in the series within this time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://files.atari.com/corporate/0908-GB_annual%20report.pdf |title=Infogrames Entertainment Fiscal Year 2008/2009 Earnings |publisher=Infogrames |date=May 29, 2009 |access-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103073426/http://files.atari.com/corporate/0908-GB_annual%20report.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

===2013–2020: Post-sale and attempted relaunch===
In July 2013, private equity firm The Evergreen Group bought the ''Backyard Sports'' franchise during the Atari bankruptcy proceedings for its portfolio company, Epic Gear LLC.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130724006402/en/Evergreen-Group-Agreed-Acquire-Backyard-Sports-Video/|title = The Evergreen Group Has Agreed to Acquire Backyard Sports Video Game Franchise|website=Businesswire.com|date = 24 July 2013}}</ref>

In February 2014, Day6 Sports Group acquired the franchise from Epic Gear.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NBA, Day 6 to Reboot Backyard Sports {{!}} License Global |url=https://www.licenseglobal.com/sports/nba-day-6-reboot-backyard-sports |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=www.licenseglobal.com |language=en}}</ref> The company announced to relaunch the franchise in December with ''Backyard Sports NBA Basketball'' for smartphones and tablets, with Golden State Warriors point guard [[Stephen Curry]] as the cover athlete.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Srisavasdi |first=Greg |date=2014-12-13 |title=Stephen Curry To Help Re-Launch Backyard Sports Franchise |url=https://deepestdream.com/stephen-curry-to-help-re-launch-backyard-sports-franchise/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Deepest Dream |language=en-US}}</ref> Two mobile games, ''Backyard Sports: Baseball 2015'' and ''Baseball	Sports: NBA Basketball 2015'', were released in February 2015, but Day6 did not release any further titles afterward, as the company was acquired by a European investment group in 2016<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kram|first=Zach|date=2017-10-10|title=How 'Backyard Baseball' Became a Cult Classic|url=https://www.theringer.com/features/2017/10/10/16451300/backyard-baseball-20-year-anniversary|access-date=2020-12-31|website=The Ringer|language=en}}</ref> and later went out of business in 2020.<ref name="Time Extension Kelce"/>

In April 2019, Humongous's social media pages tweeted an image of the original ''Junior Sports'' logo, hinting at a possible re-release of the original games and/or the developer having re-secured the rights to the series proper,<ref>{{cite tweet|author=Humongous|author-link=Humongous Entertainment|user=HumongousEnt|number=1119371805787975681|date=April 19, 2019|title=[Image-only tweet; image shows a red exclamation point on a transparent background overlaid with the words "It's Junior Sports" in blue.]|access-date=May 17, 2019}}</ref><ref name="barrelrolled-humongous">{{cite web|last=Schmidt|first=Eugene|title=Humongous Entertainment coming to consoles|url=https://barrelrolled.com/humongous-entertainment-coming-to-consoles|website=Barrelrolled|access-date=2019-05-17 |date=2019-04-24|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="dualshockers-humongous">{{cite web|last=Frech|first=Ricky|title=Humongous Entertainment is Bringing Their Collection of 90s Classics to Consoles|url=https://www.dualshockers.com/humongous-entertainment-is-bringing-their-collection-of-90s-classics-to-consoles/|website=DualShockers|access-date=2019-05-17|date=2019-04-24|df=mdy-all}}</ref> but a week prior, Humongous replied to a Twitter post saying that they didn't own the rights to the franchise.

===2020–present: New ownership and full brand relaunch===
After Day6's closure in 2020, the franchise was purchased by Ari Pinchot and Stuart Avi Savitsky via Backyard Sports LLC in 2021. While Backyard Sports LLC owns the trademarks associated with the brand, in 2024, Playground Productions LLC began to work with Pinchot and Savitsky in relaunching the IP across gaming and other verticals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lyles |first=Taylor |date=2024-08-20 |title=Backyard Sports Revival Officially Announced by Playground Productions |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/backyard-sports-revival-officially-announced-by-playground-productions |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=IGN |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="PCMag new ownership">{{Cite web |title=Backyard SportsTrademark Status & Document Retrieval |url=https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=86086425&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=tsdr.uspto.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Playground to revive '90s gaming franchise Backyard Sports |url=https://kidscreen.com/2024/08/21/playground-to-revive-90s-gaming-franchise-backyard-sports/ |access-date=2025-02-23}}</ref> This collaboration was accompanied by an animated trailer featuring several of the Backyard Kids preparing to start a game of baseball.<ref name="Variety Backyard Sports">{{cite web |last=Otterson |first=Joe |date=August 20, 2024 |title='Backyard Sports' Relaunching With New Video Games, TV Series, Films (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/backyard-sports-relaunch-video-games-films-pablo-sanchez-1236111148/ |access-date=August 20, 2024 |website=Variety}}</ref><ref name="Kidscreen Backyard Sports">{{cite web |last=Whyte |first=Alexandra |date=August 21, 2024 |title=Playground to revive '90s gaming franchise Backyard Sports |url=https://kidscreen.com/2024/08/21/playground-to-revive-90s-gaming-franchise-backyard-sports/ |access-date=August 22, 2024 |website=Kidscreen}}</ref>

The franchise regained media attention in January 2024, when NFL player [[Jason Kelce]], in an episode of his and his brother [[Travis Kelce|Travis]]'s podcast ''[[New Heights]]'', reminisced about playing ''Backyard Football'' and ''Backyard Baseball'', and stated his desire to purchase the rights to the brand to develop a new game in the series.<ref name="IGN Kelce">{{cite web|last=Lyles|first=Taylor|title=NFL Star Jason Kelce Wants to Bring Back Backyard Football and Baseball|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/nfl-star-jason-kelce-wants-to-bring-back-backyard-football-and-baseball|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=February 2, 2024|date=February 1, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Kotaku Kelce">{{cite web |last1=Mercante |first1=Alyssa |title=NFL's Kelce Brothers Want To Bring Back Your Fave Childhood Game |url=https://kotaku.com/backyard-football-baseball-game-travis-jason-kelce-nfl-1851218390 |website=[[Kotaku]] |access-date=February 2, 2024 |date=February 1, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Time Extension Kelce">{{cite web|last=Yarwood|first=Jack|title=The NFL's Jason Kelce Is Interested In Reviving Backyard Sports|url=https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/02/the-nfls-jason-kelce-is-interested-in-reviving-backyard-sports|website=Time Extension|access-date=February 2, 2024|date=February 2, 2024}}</ref> It received further attention that August when [[Bobby Witt Jr.]] of the [[Kansas City Royals]] used a baseball bat themed after Pablo Sanchez, a popular character in the series, to hit a home run against the [[Cincinnati Reds]] during Major League Baseball's Players' Weekend.<ref name="MLB Bobby Witt Jr.">{{cite web |last=Trezza |first=Joe |title=Witt brings Backyard Baseball to life with 2nd 25-HR, 25-SB season |url=https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/bobby-witt-jr-logs-second-25-home-run-25-stolen-base-season?msockid=03f557a32403666017ed438225db677a |website=[[MLB.com]] |access-date=2025-01-31 |date=2016-08-16 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>  

Playground Productions and developer [[Mega Cat Studios]] began the revival of ''Backyard Sports'' with a series of remastered classic titles, starting with ''[[Backyard Baseball '97]]'', which was released on October 10, 2024, exactly 27 years after the original ''Backyard Baseball''<nowiki/>'s release.<ref name="Gematsu BB'97 announcement">{{cite web | last=Romano | first=Sal | title=Backyard Baseball '97 announced for PC | website=Gematsu | date=September 25, 2024 | url=https://www.gematsu.com/2024/09/backyard-baseball-97-announced-for-pc | access-date=September 25, 2024}}</ref><ref name="TechCrunch BB'97 announcement">{{cite web |last=Silberling |first=Amanda |title=Backyard Baseball '97 is back, with a re-release coming soon on Steam |url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/25/backyard-baseball-97-is-back-with-a-re-release-coming-soon-on-steam/ |website=[[TechCrunch]] |access-date=2024-10-10 |date=2024-09-25|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Logan |date=2024-10-10 |title=Backyard Football, Basketball, and Soccer Remasters "Coming Soon" to PC |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/backyard-sports-baseball-football-basketball-soccer-pc-steam/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=ComicBook.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Playground Productions is collaborating with Mega Cat Studios to bring the remasters to [[Mobile game|mobile devices]] while developing a new original ''Backyard Sports'' title.<ref name="Variety November 2024">{{cite web |date=2024-11-19 |title=Next-Gen 'Backyard Sports' Game in the Works |url=https://variety.com/2024/gaming/news/backyard-sports-new-video-game-tv-film-adaptations-1236213649/ |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="SI November 2024">{{cite magazine |last1=Dierberger |first1=Tom |date=2024-11-19 |title='Backyard Sports' Franchise Currently Developing First Next-Generation Video Game |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/backyard-sports-franchise-first-next-generation-video-game |access-date=2024-11-19 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Deschamps |first=Marc |date=2025-03-16 |title=Backyard Sports Games Get Mobile Release Date, Tease Console Versions |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/backyard-sports-games-mobile-release-date-console-tease-nintendo-switch/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=ComicBook.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

In early 2025, Playground Productions confirmed to ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' that they had signed over 60 athletes to rejoin or debut in the franchise, including [[Barry Sanders]], [[Lisa Leslie]], [[Dan Marino]], and [[Mark McGwire]].<ref name="Rolling Stone Feb 2025">{{cite magazine |last=Lang |first=Jake |title=Kid-Friendly Gaming Franchise 'Backyard Sports' Is Back And Ready to Modernize |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/rs-gaming/backyard-sports-revival-barry-sanders-dan-marino-1235258969/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=2024-02-13 |date=2025-02-07 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>