Playground Productions has revealed the return of the Backyard Sports franchise, announcing it on their official website along with an embedded video seen below. Some of you might recall back in February when Jason and Travis Kelce reminisced about the classic Backyard Football and Baseball games on their New Heights podcast. Jason even hinted that he was quietly exploring the possibility of purchasing the rights to both games to revive them. However, sources confirmed to Sports Illustrated that the Kelce bros are not involved in the relaunch. Either way, it’s exciting to see the franchise making a comeback.
According to Variety, video games aren’t the only focus for Playground Productions. They’re aiming to expand across multiple verticals, including film, television, merchandise and more. There hasn’t been any official announcement regarding release dates or platforms yet, but fans are encouraged to sign up on the official website to be the first to hear about upcoming projects.
“We’re incredibly excited to reintroduce Backyard Sports to a new generation of players,” Chris Waters, chief product officer at Playground Productions, said in a statement. “We’re taking great care to preserve the look and feel that made the original games so special while updating them with modern features and gameplay that today’s audience expects. I can’t wait for fans to see what we’re building on the Playground.”
In today's Daily Fix:Popular Call of Duty Mod “H2M” was pulled just hours before its release time after a cease and desist letter from game publisher, Activision. Though sources are mixed on the reasoning, fans are nonetheless unhappy with H2M, which would have brought back the multiplayer mode from 2009’s Modern Warfare 2, being pulled. And, Backyard Sports announced they’ll be coming back with a trailer. The owners of Backyard Sports, which includes titles like Backyard Baseball and Backyard Football, plan to bring back the gaming franchise and could possibly bring “Backyard” to new mediums as well. Presented by NHTSA.
As part of the coverage of a major league baseball game being played in the former Negro League venue Ridgewood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, Hall of Fame baseball star Reggie Jackson was asked how emotional it was to return to the field. — Read the rest
Baseball isn't always very exciting. Even as a dedicated fan, I can admit this. Major League Baseball has made some improvements to speed up the game, like the pitch clock. Many things still slow down the game – mound visits, endless foul balls, and, even with the ghost runner, four-hour games thanks to extra innings. — Read the rest
Baseball isn't always very exciting. Even as a dedicated fan, I can admit this. Major League Baseball has made some improvements to speed up the game, like the pitch clock. Many things still slow down the game – mound visits, endless foul balls, and, even with the ghost runner, four-hour games thanks to extra innings. — Read the rest
Baseball isn't always very exciting. Even as a dedicated fan, I can admit this. Major League Baseball has made some improvements to speed up the game, like the pitch clock. Many things still slow down the game – mound visits, endless foul balls, and, even with the ghost runner, four-hour games thanks to extra innings. — Read the rest
Sad news this morning with the death of Paul Auster at 77. Like a lot of people, I suspect, I discovered his books in my late teens and early 20s. I read The Music of Chance at school after I'd spotted it at the library and, of all things, found the cover intriguing. Later, at university, I had a lecturer who was a serious Auster fan and was foolish enough to lend me his signed copies of Leviathan and Moon Palace. I say foolish - I treated those books like holy objects while I had them in my house.
For a few years I read everything he wrote, going backwards mainly. I loved his strangely serious playfulness - postmodernism was big at the time and this was his response, I think. I remember thinking it was incredibly freeing the way he would just drop a character with his name into one novel, and then another. I read his autobiographical stuff, which read like fiction, and his fiction which had these long stretches that felt like real life, and had probably come from real life.
Two books stick with me though: Moon Palace, which I think is the classic Auster, compact and roving, curious and distinctly miserable in spots, wildly inventive yet moving, somehow, within tight rules imposed by the author prior to writing. And Hand to Mouth, a memoir that I remember as being largely concerned with being really skint in your 20s.
Last night, a swarm of bees invaded Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, just five minutes before a game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodges was about to start. The bee colony swarmed into a large mass on the protective netting behind home plate. — Read the rest
MLB The Show 24 announced its continuing partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and the legends of the Negro Leagues take the focus of the Deluxe Edition.
For this upcoming MLB The Show 24 season, there will be 10 new Negro League Legends added, each with their own unique Storyline to experience.
Coming to Game Pass on day one, Xbox Game Pass members can upgrade MLB The Show 24 with the Digital Deluxe Add-On to get bonus items and play 4 days early.
Last year, MLB The Show launched the start of a multi-year journey, telling some of American baseball’s most important history with Storylines: The Negro Leagues. This feature rolled out throughout last season, adding the ability to experience playing as Negro League baseball legends like Buck O’Neil, Jackie Robinson, and more, putting you in their shoes in some of their most pivotal games of their careers. Now the acclaimed mode is back for year two with Storylines: The Negro Leagues Season 2.
Last year’s inclusion was outstanding for the game and it’s great to see that it’s returning to MLB The Show 24. We caught up with Communications and Brand Strategist at San Diego Studio Ramone Russell to learn a bit more about what’s in store for this season, and what some of his favorite reactions were from long-time fans of the franchise after playing through Storylines last year.
“(I liked) hearing about kids playing through Storylines and having their parents take them to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City,” Russell recalls. “We always wanted Storylines to be a starting point in the journey. Helping tell the story of the Negro Leagues to a younger audience in a fun and engaging way made all the hard work worth it.”
Founded in 1990, the Negro League Baseball Museum is the world’s only museum “dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African American baseball and its profound impact on the social advancement of America.” As a volunteer in the early ‘90s, Bob Kendrick started working with the NLBM, and he became President in 2011. He has since overseen many of the museum’s educational programs, events, and more – including the first season of Storylines for MLB The Show 24.
“This project wouldn’t be possible without our groundbreaking partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and their president, Bob Kendrick,” explains Russell. “It was paramount for us to give context to these amazing players and the history behind the Negro Leagues. Bob does this better than anyone. Our job was to make these stories engaging for a video game and let Bob do the teaching.”
For this upcoming MLB The Show 24 season, there will be 10 new Negro League Legends added, each with their own unique Storyline to experience. Legends like Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Hank Aaron, and Toni Stone have been confirmed to be playable at early access launch on March 15, 2024, for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
The next set of three Negro Leagues players will arrive as a free downloadable content drop in April, and then again in May. In addition, all the players from Season 1 of Storylines will be included in MLB The Show 24 at launch — so if you missed out on this feature from last year’s game, you’ll have a lot to experience on day one.
“The creation and development of Storylines was a very organic process. It wasn’t perfect, and we weren’t able to include everything we wanted to in year one,” shares Russell. “However, we started this project with three goals in mind: to educate, enlighten, and inspire by celebrating the rich history of the Negro Leagues. We accomplished those goals and helped bring some much-needed attention to such an important part and often overlooked chapter in American history.”
A big part of the reason why there is so much history for Russell and the MLB The Show team to pull from is in large part thanks to the efforts of Black newspapers and Black press who worked tirelessly to document Negro Leagues history (you can learn more about them here on the official National Baseball Hall of Fame site). Without those efforts we may have never heard about these Black baseball legends.
If you have noticed the design of this year’s MLB The Show 24 Collector’s Edition, this is why it’s been made to pay homage to these important members of baseball’s history. This year’s theme, as Russell puts is, “is a tribute to those who helped give a voice to the voiceless.” Without these newspapers and the pioneering baseball writers, the Negro Leagues wouldn’t have survived; they preserved this often-overlooked chapter of American and baseball history.
“The Kansas City Call, Pittsburg Currier, and Chicago Defender are just a few of the black-oriented newspapers in the 1930s and 1940s that formed a symbiotic relationship with the Negro Leagues,” Russell explains. ““They, along with what pioneering black writers like Wendell Smith and Sam Lacy documented, are so important to this story. We’re hoping our fans love the cover art, and from the response we’ve received they in fact do. For some fans the journey will end there and that’s OK. For others, they may dig a little deeper to learn a little more about the history behind the creative.”
In their continued partnership with The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MLB The Show will donate $1 for every Negro Leagues Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition, and MVP edition sold in the U.S. until 12/31/24 to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. You can visit the official site of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum here to learn more about their important work.
Look for MLB The Show 24 to launch on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and day one with Xbox Game Pass on March 19, 2024. Xbox Game Pass members can also pick up the Digital Deluxe Edition and 4 days early access by purchasing the Digital Deluxe Upgrade Add-On Bundle here on the Xbox Store.
Pre-order to receive a Gold Choice Pack and Early Access on March 15, 2024.
This edition of MLB The Show 24 includes:
• Full Game for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S
• 10,000 Stubs
• 1 Diamond Choice Pack
• 1 Equipment Pack
• 10 The Show Packs
• 1 Double Daily Rewards
• 1 Cover Athlete Bat Skin
Unlock Your Moment
It’s your Show. Ready to own it?
Set out on the road to baseball greatness – whatever it is you want to achieve, MLB® The Show 24 has got you covered.
Earn your call up from the minors to the big leagues and prove you’ve got what it takes at the top. Learn from the legends of the sport, take inspiration from their heroics and use it to improve your game. Hold your nerve when it matters and earn the right to be called World Series champions.
Chalk up the wins, pick yourself up after the losses.
Whatever happens, know you left nothing in the dugout.
Celebrating History with Storylines
Celebrate and learn about baseball legends throughout the sport’s history. The Storylines mode transports you into baseball’s past to relive iconic moments of baseball’s unsung and unknown heroes. Experience career-defining moments through a combination of immersive gameplay that will educate and inspire you to make history of your own.
Road to the Show
Unlock your moment and build your career in the ultimate baseball role-playing experience. Become a ballplayer and journey from the minors to the majors to define your legacy.
Franchise
Lead your team to World Series glory as a team manager in Franchise mode. Experience new features providing more in-depth and dynamic gameplay from March to October.
March to October
Take control of your favorite team, focus on the key streamlined in-season moments and see if you can get to the Playoffs and beyond.
Diamond Dynasty
Build your fantasy team of players from across all eras of baseball’s history as Diamond Dynasty returns for another season. Collect player cards, build your dream squad, and play head-to-head against other players online and offline while customizing your team’s look.*
Multiplayer
Gather your friends and face off in cross-platform play.** Climb the leaderboards and compete against others online, or experience team glory together through online co-op play. With cross-progression, continue your progress and earn and use content on other console platforms.***
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In today's Daily Fix:Popular Call of Duty Mod “H2M” was pulled just hours before its release time after a cease and desist letter from game publisher, Activision. Though sources are mixed on the reasoning, fans are nonetheless unhappy with H2M, which would have brought back the multiplayer mode from 2009’s Modern Warfare 2, being pulled. And, Backyard Sports announced they’ll be coming back with a trailer. The owners of Backyard Sports, which includes titles like Backyard Baseball and Backyard Football, plan to bring back the gaming franchise and could possibly bring “Backyard” to new mediums as well. Presented by NHTSA.
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24 – MVP Edition (Pre-Order)