Skip to main content

Pokémon Go developer’s next project is an AR basketball game

Niantic is trading Pokéballs for basketballs. The Pokémon Go developer has announced its partnership with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) to develop NBA All-World, the sports entity’s very first official AR mobile game.

NBA All-World | Unleash a New Era of Hoop

NBA All-World turns every basketball court in the real world into Courts, immersing players in an NBA-themed metaverse by encouraging them to find other basketball fans in Player Encounters to challenge them in one-on-one competitions and recruit them to their team. If the same player is already on the team, they can earn more Cred with practice shootings and unlock the ability to recruit stronger players with a higher Team Level.

Players can level up their stats with Boosts in Offense, Defense, and Fitness, as well as increase their Energy levels with Energy Drinks to make it easier to score points. Their stats can be improved even further when they pick up Gear based on their favorite basketball team at Drop Zones, like jerseys, sneakers, and other accessories.

“Through our partnership with Niantic, NBA All-World will provide fans across the globe the opportunity to fully immerse themselves into the energy and excitement of the NBA,” Matt Holt, Head of Consumer Products at the NBA, said. “Evident in the name of the game itself, we look forward to engaging with our fans around the world through this immersive experience.”

NBA All-World is another step into the metaverse for the NBA. Back in April, the company partnered with Google to develop another AR experience called the Pixel Arena in the NBA app, which allowed fans to play games based on real-time game data and customize their avatars during the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

NBA All-World is currently in a soft launch phase, and Niantic plans to release the game on Android and iOS globally during the 2022-23 NBA season. You can sign up at the game’s official website to be notified when the game becomes available in your region and be the first to get your codename for use at launch.

Editors' Recommendations

Cristina Alexander
Cristina Alexander has been writing since 2014, from opining about pop culture on her personal blog in college to reporting…
Marvel World of Heroes is the next AR game from Pokémon Go studio
marvel world of heroes announcement niantic

A new augmented reality game from Niantic is on the way, and this time it's being created in partnership with Marvel and will feature plenty of iconic faces from the comics. The game was announced today during Disney & Marvel's games showcase and has a 2023 release window.

MARVEL World of Heroes | Announcement Teaser

Read more
The best games like Pokémon [Ultimate 2022 List]
Main character and Familiar from Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.

Pokémon never really went out of style, but the franchise has been on people's minds thanks to the mobile phenomenon Pokémon Go and the recent release of Pokémon: Legends Arceus for Nintendo Switch.

The Pokémon series is essentially like any other turn-based RPG, such as Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, and Dragon Quest. You assemble your party, level them up, customize their abilities, and engage in random battles against enemies while exploring your world. The real draw of Pokémon has always been collecting tiny creatures that populate the world and battling them against one another.

Read more
The Pokémon Company sues 6 companies over copycat mobile game
pokemon wordle clone diamond and pearl

The Pokémon Company is suing six Chinese mobile gaming companies for copyright infringement and unfair competition over Pocket Monster Reissue (Koudaiyaoguai Fuke in Chinese), a game it says bears a striking resemblance to the popular IP.

According to a South China Morning Post report, The Pokémon Company, which is releasing Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in November, filed an order to the Shenzen Intermediate People's Court for the companies to stop the development and sale of Pocket Monster Reissue on mobile storefronts in mainland China, including those run by Tencent, Huawei, and Xiaomi. It is also asking for 500 million yuan ($72.5 million) in damages that have resulted from the game's unauthorized operation.

Read more