Backyard Football
| Company type | Video game series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | Humongous Entertainment |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Backyard Football series |
| Owner | Humongous Entertainment (developer), published by Infogrames/Atari, The Evergreen Group |
Backyard Football represents a series of video games developed by Humongous Entertainment and released by publishers including Infogrames/Atari and The Evergreen Group. As a segment of the Backyard Sports collection, it distinctively showcases professional NFL athletes portrayed as children, featuring notable players such as Steve Young and Barry Sanders. The franchise includes eleven installments available across various gaming platforms.
Designed to recreate American football through the eyes of a child, the series combines straightforward gameplay with familiar sports figures to attract younger players and family audiences.
Titles
| Title | Year | Platforms | Cover athlete |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backyard Football | 1999 | Macintosh, Windows | Steve Young |
| Backyard Football 2002 | 2001 | Macintosh, Windows | Drew Bledsoe, Donovan McNabb |
| Backyard Football | 2002 | Game Boy Advance | Donovan McNabb |
| Backyard Football | 2002 | GameCube | |
| Backyard Football 2004 | 2003 | Windows | Jeff Garcia |
| Backyard Football 2006 | 2005 | Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, Windows | Daunte Culpepper |
| Backyard Sports Football 2007 | 2006 | Game Boy Advance | Ben Roethlisberger |
| Backyard Football '08 | 2007 | Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Wii, Windows | Tom Brady |
| Backyard Football '09 | 2008 | Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Wii, Windows | |
| Backyard Football '10 | 2009 | PlayStation 2, Wii, Xbox 360 | Multiple NFL players including Frank Gore, Eli Manning, and Peyton Manning |
| Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush | 2010 | Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox 360 | Multiple Fictional Players |
Backyard Football
Released in 1999 as the third installment of the Backyard Sports lineup, Backyard Football was created by Humongous Entertainment and published by GT Interactive. This entry marked the first time the series incorporated childlike versions of prominent NFL stars such as Jerry Rice, Brett Favre, and Steve Young as playable characters. The game provides three distinct modes: single game, season mode, and online multiplayer.
In single game mode, users choose from various options including the playing field, weather conditions (sunny, rainy, or snowy), difficulty levels (easy, medium, hard), and select a team from either 31 NFL squads or 10 backyard teams. Each team features seven players with five active on the field at any time. Player statistics in this mode do not carry over to season mode.
Season mode requires drafting a roster of seven players before embarking on a 14-game schedule. Achieving success in this phase leads teams into the playoffs for the "Super Colossal Cereal Bowl," a humorous take on the NFL's Super Bowl. This tournament involves eight teams competing through three elimination rounds.
Online gameplay was offered exclusively for the Windows version via the Junior Sports Network. Participants were grouped into skill-based tiers: Easy Streets, Mediumville, and Toughy Town. Communication was restricted to pre-set chat phrases to maintain appropriate interactions. Following the shutdown of the original online service, enthusiasts developed a fan-operated server in 2021 using Node.js alongside an enhanced ScummVM client supporting online play; this project is known as Backyard Sports Online. Both server and client source code have been made publicly available.
A refreshed edition named Backyard Football '99 is planned for release on Windows through Steam in autumn 2025. This remaster is being developed by Mega Cat Studios and published by Playground Productions with the goal of introducing the classic game to contemporary players.
Backyard Football 2002
Developed by Humongous Entertainment and released by Infogrames in 2001 for both Windows and Macintosh platforms, Backyard Football 2002 was originally intended to be a Game Boy Color exclusive under the name Backyard Football 2001 in 2000. The game features returning athletes Brett Favre and Drew Bledsoe from the initial installment, along with new additions such as Terrell Davis, Steve McNair, Jevon Kearse, Rich Gannon, Ricky Williams, Junior Seau, Donovan McNabb, and Cade McNown. Notably, this title stands out as the only SCUMM engine game to offer LAN multiplayer support rather than relying on online services. Subsequent versions for the Game Boy Advance and GameCube were launched in 2002.
Backyard Football 2004
Humongous Entertainment developed Backyard Football 2004, which was published by Atari in 2003 for Windows systems. This edition brings back Donovan McNabb and introduces new players including Mike Vick, Jeff Garcia, Marshall Faulk, Curtis Martin, Marvin Harrison, Brian Urlacher, and Jerome Bettis, among others, broadening the roster to engage football enthusiasts.
Backyard Football 2006
Released in 2005 across Windows, PlayStation 2, and Game Boy Advance, Backyard Football 2006 was created by Humongous Entertainment and published by Atari. Returning athletes include Mike Vick, Donovan McNabb, Marvin Harrison, and Brian Urlacher, while newcomers such as Daunte Culpepper, Tom Brady, Matt Hasselbeck, Priest Holmes, LaDainian Tomlinson, Torry Holt, Peyton Manning, Michael Strahan, Tony Gonzalez, and Ahman Green join the lineup. This version introduced a strategic 7-on-7 team format, enhancing the gameplay experience.
Backyard Sports Football 2007
Developed by Humongous Entertainment and published by Atari in 2006 for the Game Boy Advance, Backyard Sports Football 2007 received unfavorable critiques. Reviewers pointed out repetitive audio elements and subpar gameplay mechanics, characterizing the soundtrack as "annoying, repetitious" and criticizing the controls for being unresponsive with a limited selection of playbook options.
Backyard Football '08
Released in 2007 for Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PC platforms, Backyard Football '08 was developed by Humongous Entertainment with additional contributions from FarSight Studios and Torus Games, and published by Atari. The game features youthful representations of NFL stars and offers the ability to play full seasons with any of sixteen teams. IGN assigned the Wii version a score of 6 out of 10, acknowledging its challenging controls for younger gamers while commending its entertaining commentary.
Backyard Football '09
Launched in 2008 on similar platforms, Backyard Football '09 continued collaboration between Humongous Entertainment and Atari. This installment includes twenty-two backyard kids alongside fifteen professional players depicted as children, featuring notable figures like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, LaDainian Tomlinson, among others. Classic characters such as Pete Wheeler and Pablo Sanchez also make appearances, accompanied by commentators Chuck Downfield and Sunny Day. Reviews pointed to repetitive commentary and gameplay that was overly simplified to cater to a younger demographic.
Backyard Football '10
Backyard Football '10 was created by the original development team responsible for the previous titles and released by Atari in 2009 for Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 2 platforms. The game offers various modes including "Single Player," "Season," "Tournament," and "All Pro," along with cooperative multiplayer and two-on-two gameplay options.
Reception varied across platforms, with the Xbox 360 and Wii versions receiving mixed critiques, while the PlayStation 2 edition faced predominantly negative reviews. Notably, ZTGameDomain commended the Xbox 360 version for its straightforward design, accessibility, and overall quality.
Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush
Developed by HB Studios and published by Atari in 2010, Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush was released on Xbox 360, Wii, Windows, and Nintendo DS. It includes familiar gameplay modes such as "Pick-up Games," "Season Mode," and "Tournament," alongside new additions like "Story Mode" and various "Mini-Games."
The title garnered a 4 out of 5-star rating from Common Sense Media, whereas AllGame rated it lower, awarding only 2 out of 5 stars.
TV special
In 2002, CBS broadcast a live-action/animated television special based on the Backyard Football series titled Backyard Basics, which featured Donovan McNabb, then quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. The special originally aired on November 16 and was subsequently rebroadcast on Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids.