Backyard Soccer (series)

Last updated
Backyard Soccer
Backyard Soccer '98 logo.png
The logo of Backyard Soccer '98 (2024), a remaster of the original Backyard Soccer (1998)
Genre(s) Sports
Developer(s) Humongous Entertainment (1998–2003)
Runecraft (PlayStation version of Backyard Soccer)
Mega Cat Studios (2024–present)
Publisher(s) Humongous Entertainment (original)
Infogrames (2000–2003)
Playground Productions (2024–present)
Platform(s) Windows, Mac, PlayStation
First release Backyard Soccer
1998
Latest release Backyard Soccer '98
2024

Backyard Soccer is a series of children's association football video games developed by Humongous Entertainment and published by Infogrames. It is the second of five sub-series in the Backyard Sports franchise.

Contents

History

On September 9, 1997, a month before the release of Backyard Baseball , Humongous Entertainment announced that Backyard Soccer would be the second game for the franchise with a planned release in 1998. [1] The game was later announced for a September release for Windows and Macintosh. [1]

During the 1999 E3 event, Humongous Entertainment announced license deals with several professional sports leagues, including Major League Soccer, which would lead to newer Backyard Sports installments including younger versions of professional sports players as playable characters. [2] On May 11, 2000, a sequel to Backyard Soccer was announced for release on the Game Boy Color in early 2001, though it was cancelled along with planned releases for Backyard Baseball 2001 and Backyard Football 2001 for said console. [3] Despite this, the sequel for Backyard Soccer was still released for Windows and Macintosh on October 3, 2000, under the title Backyard Soccer MLS Edition . [4] The game featured 12 MLS players, each representing all of the league's then 12 soccer teams. [5] USWNT players Brandi Chastain, Briana Scurry, and Tiffeny Milbrett also appeared in the game. [4] In 2001, Backyard Soccer was ported to the PlayStation console. [6]

A third title, Backyard Soccer 2004, was released on March 11, 2003; it featured the return of all three USWNT players as well as four MLS players who previously appeared in Backyard Soccer MLS Edition along with several new MLS players appearing, such as Bobby Convey, Chris Armas, Clint Mathis, Jay Heaps, Landon Donovan, and Tony Meola. [7]

In 2024, following the remastered version of Backyard Baseball on Steam, more remasters of classic Backyard Sports games were revealed to be in production, with the original Backyard Soccer being among them. [8] The remaster for Backyard Soccer, entitled Backyard Soccer '98, was launched on Steam on November 27, 2024. [9] [10]

Installments

TitleYearPlatformsCover athlete(s)
Backyard Soccer September 26, 1998 Macintosh, Windows Original characters
Backyard Soccer MLS Edition October 3, 2000 Brandi Chastain, Cobi Jones
Backyard SoccerNovember 27, 2001 PlayStation Original characters
Backyard Soccer 2004March 11, 2003Macintosh, Windows Clint Mathis
Backyard Soccer '98November 27, 2024WindowsOriginal characters

References

  1. 1 2 "Contact: Mike Salvadore, Communications Manager". Archived from the original on 25 May 1998. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  2. ↑ "HE Announces License Deals". Archived from the original on 1 October 2000. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  3. ↑ "Humongous Sports on Playstation & Game Boy". Archived from the original on 20 November 2000. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  4. 1 2 "Backyard Soccer MLS Edition In Stores Now!". Archived from the original on 20 November 2000. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  5. ↑ "Backyard Soccer MLS Edition!". Archived from the original on 20 November 2000. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  6. ↑ "GameZone.com - PlayStation Game - Backyard Soccer". 2001-12-17. Archived from the original on 17 December 2001. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  7. ↑ "Infogrames - Corporate Information". 2003-04-09. Archived from the original on 9 April 2003. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
  8. ↑ Moore, Logan (2024-10-10). "Backyard Football, Basketball, and Soccer Remasters "Coming Soon" to PC". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  9. ↑ "'Backyard Sports' Franchise Currently Developing First Next-Generation Video Game". SI. 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  10. ↑ Maas, Jennifer (2024-11-19). "Next-Gen 'Backyard Sports' Game in the Works". Variety. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
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