Welcome to Backyard Cricket

Hey everyone! Welcome to the first dev blog for Backyard Cricket.

I thought I’d start by introducing the game, explaining why I’m making it, and sharing a little about how the project came about.

Why Backyard Cricket?

I’ve always enjoyed making cricket games.

Back in 2014, I released Cricket Player Manager, a text-based cricket management game for Android. It was a very different type of game, but I really enjoyed building something around a sport I’ve always loved.

Ever since then, I’ve wanted to have a go at making my own 3D cricket game.

Of course, making a full cricket game is a pretty massive undertaking for one person, so I liked the idea of starting with something smaller and more focused.

That eventually became Backyard Cricket.

The basic idea was simple: one batter, one bowler, a backyard, and all the slightly ridiculous rules and situations that make backyard cricket what it is.

A simple 1 vs 1 game felt like a great way to dip my toes into making a 3D cricket game while still giving me plenty of room to experiment with batting, bowling, physics, environments and all the little details that make cricket feel right.

A passion project

Backyard Cricket is very much a passion project.

I work full time, so development happens in my spare time, usually whenever I can find a few hours here and there.

I’ve actually been working on the game for nearly three years now, although very much part time. A lot of that time has gone into experimenting, rebuilding things, learning new techniques and slowly figuring out exactly what I want the game to be.

There’s still plenty to do, but it’s now at the point where it feels like a real game rather than an experiment sitting on my computer.

The goal

I’m currently aiming to release Backyard Cricket towards the end of 2027 on Steam.

The plan is to keep the price relatively cheap. I want it to be the sort of game where someone sees it, thinks “backyard cricket sounds fun”, and can easily give it a go.

I’m also a big Steam Deck fan, so naturally one of my goals was to get Backyard Cricket running on it.

It already does.

There’s something pretty satisfying about playing a cricket game you made yourself while sitting on the couch.

What makes it backyard cricket?

I don’t want this to simply be normal cricket played in a small field.

Backyard cricket has its own personality.

Wheelie bins can be wickets. Over the fence is obviously out. Mannequins can stand in as fielders. And there may even be a magical garden gnome worth bonus runs if you manage to hit it.

Those little details are a big part of what I want the game to be.

The cricket itself should still feel satisfying and grounded, but the world around it can have a bit of fun.

What’s next?

With this blog I’ll be sharing more of the development process as the game progresses, including gameplay clips, screenshots, new features, experiments and probably a few things that go completely wrong along the way.

After almost three years of quietly working on Backyard Cricket, it’s nice to finally start showing it to people.

There’s still a long way to go, but I hope you’ll follow along.

Backyard Cricket is coming to PC via Steam, currently planned for late 2027. 🏏