
By Mallory Mattingly
It is almost time to find your inner child again because an animated special inspired by the classic Backyard Sports video game franchise will release in 2026.
According to Variety, the special marks the first project beyond gaming for the franchise. It is produced by Lighthouse Studios, who also produced BOB’S BURGERS.
Lindsay Barnett, CEO of Playground Productions, the Backyard Sports IP rights holder, along with CPO Chris Waters and Mega Cat CEO James Deighan announced the special an the New York Comic-Con last weekend.
“What makes Backyard Sports special is the characters,” Waters told IGN. “For us, the opportunity to take your favorite characters and bring them to life in a new way was a no-brainer as we’ve already said this is a multi-platform franchise we want to go beyond games. We all loved how beautiful the animation was in the games and how much love and care they put in, and it made you love and understand the characters and made you want to pick a certain character. So, we are really, really humbled to be able to extend that into more animation.”
Related: New Video Game From ‘Backyard Sports’ Franchise in the Works
— Backyard Sports (@_BackyardSports) October 10, 2025
Though details are scarce, the BACKYARD SPORTS special’s “all-star” cast will be announced in November, with an expected release at Dave & Buster’s in early 2026.
“This special was our way of establishing a tone, establishing a look, and really putting our flag down to say, Backyard is a multi-platform franchise. You’re going to be able to experience it in lots of different ways,” Waters added.
The Backyard Sports franchise has seen other updates recently.
Backyard Football ’99 arrived on smartphones and Steam, while Backyard Soccer ’98 also landed on Steam, an online gaming platform. Additionally, the classic Backyard Baseball got an upgrade over the summer and released on video game consoles.
“The classic gets an upgrade ⚾️ Backyard Baseball ‘97 available now on Nintendo Switch and PS5!” Playground Productions shared.
It’s clear fans still love these games. But what exactly keeps people coming back?
“Streamers have picked these games up and people aren’t watching them because they’re amazing video game players,” Waters said. “They’re watching them because they’re bringing these kids to life through their own lens. It reminds you of what it was like to play baseball the first time you picked up a glove and a bat and a ball and you were just playing for fun. I think that’s been the big thing for why this really is a timeless and classic franchise.”
“It is celebrating all of the different characters in your backyard and all their strengths and maybe even some of the weaknesses,” Barnett added. “You laugh and you get through everything together. You play together and you might win, you might lose, but you always had fun doing it. And unfortunately, a lot of sports, not just sports video games, but also just sports in general aren’t really like that anymore.”
Backyard Sports fans certainly have a lot to be excited about!
Read Next: Are Kids Still Interested in Pro Sports or Did Video Games Take Over?
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.