Backyard Baseball ’97 may appear to be a simple re-release at first glance. This Steam version of Humongous Entertainment’s beloved kids’ game, which launched the Backyard Sports franchise, seems like a direct port to modern PCs. However, the developers behind Backyard Baseball ’97 revealed that reviving this classic title required a substantial amount of effort and expertise.
Collaborating with Wrestlequest developer Mega Cat Studios, Playground Productions lacked the original source code to work with. Through the combined skills of experienced ROM hackers, Backyard Baseball modders, and meticulous trial and error, they successfully adapted Backyard Baseball ’97 to run on contemporary systems. The process of resurrecting this iconic game was much more complex than it initially seemed.
The Journey to Revive Backyard Baseball ’97
For senior engineer John Simon, the desire to engage with games on a deeper level led him to reverse engineering his favorite titles. Starting with games like Darksiders, Simon eventually turned his attention to the Backyard Sports series, creating modding tools that played a pivotal role in the Backyard Sports Online project. This initiative caught Mega Cat’s attention, leading to their collaboration with Playground Productions to bring back Backyard Baseball ’97.
Mega Cat’s team, consisting of ROM-hacking and retro gaming enthusiasts, including senior engineer Luke Usher, embarked on the challenge of reviving Backyard Baseball ’97. Despite the abundance of disks and files shared by Playground Productions, Mega Cat Studios was missing the source code for the original game, which posed a significant hurdle in the re-release process.
Reverse engineering the game’s original formats, decompiling and recompiling scripts, and tricking the game into running on modern systems were just a few of the challenges the team faced. The unique characteristics of the LucasArts point-and-click game engine called SCUMM, used by Humongous Entertainment, further complicated the process.
Challenges and Innovations
Mega Cat Studios utilized a patching framework to emulate the original game environment, enabling them to make necessary adjustments and implement new features like achievements. This intricate process of reverse engineering and adapting the game required specialized expertise that went beyond conventional remastering techniques.
The eventual re-release of Backyard Baseball ’97 on Steam only marks the beginning of Mega Cat Studios’ collaboration with Playground Productions. The partnership aims to bring Backyard Sports titles to additional platforms and expand the franchise into a multimedia realm. While the prospect of releasing Backyard Baseball ’97 on consoles seems challenging due to platform standards, the team remains optimistic about future projects.
Despite the challenges posed by the lack of source code for many Backyard Sports titles, Mega Cat Studios remains committed to reviving the beloved series with determination and effort. The journey ahead will undoubtedly require perseverance and dedication, as the developers strive to bring these iconic games back into the spotlight.
Backyard Baseball ’97 is now available for PC on Steam.
