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

Cristina Alexander
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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.

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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.

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“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.

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Cristina Alexander
Cristina Alexander
Gaming/Mobile Writer
Cristina Alexander has been writing since 2014, from opining about pop culture on her personal blog in college to reporting…
NBA All-World aims to replicate Pokémon Go’s success starting today
A player walks around their neighborhood's map in NBA All-World.

Niantic launched NBA All-World, its basketball-themed, location-based mobile game, on iOS and Android today. Ahead of this release, Digital Trends attended a presentation to learn more about how the sports AR title works.
If you've played any of Niantic's games before, many elements of NBA All-World will feel quite familiar. The mobile game tracks players' location and encourages them to explore. While doing so, players will find Drop Zones that grant them new gear. Niantic says Drop Zones will often be placed near real-world counterparts, so players can find money near a bank or shoes near a shoe store. 
There will also be Player Encounters, where they can face off against current NBA athletes. Niantic tells Digital Trends that classic athletes aren't currently in the game, but feels that idea "is a good one." 

In Player Encounters, users face off against athletes in one of four minigames: 3-Point Shootout, Beat the Clock, Around the World, and First-to-Five. While they feature some impressive and realistic animation for a mobile game, Niantic says these minigames only use simple swipe controls because the studio wanted to make something that is easy to play while someone is walking around their neighborhood. If a user wins a Player Encounter, they can recruit that athlete to their team, customize them with items found at Drop Zones, and upgrade them by playing with them. Players can also challenge players they already recruited again to earn more currency. 
The title also includes "Rule the Court" neighborhood leaderboards, many of which are placed at real-world basketball courts, where players can compete for the highest score. Currently, there are no player-versus-player elements in NBA All-World, although Niantic understands players like competitive modes in their sports games and may add them in the future. In fact, many features are still in the pipeline for post-launch updates, including Niantic's trademark AR support. Early in the second quarter of 2023, Niantic plans on adding AR support to NBA All-World to enhance the loot drops from Drop Zones to make it look like they're happening in the real world.
One thing that will be in the game at launch is microtransactions, which Niantic says will be similar to the ones available in its other games and allow players to increase their athletes' stats with Offense, Defense, and Fitness boosts. 
Despite the undeniable success of Pokémon Go, Niantic has never been able to completely replicate its success with games like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite or Pikmin Bloom. However, the studio seems confident that basketball has the global mass appeal to make NBA All-World another massive hit for the company. The early footage we saw of the game does leave us optimistic for NBA All-World's prospects, but we'll ultimately have to wait and see if the game will make it past its rookie season. 
NBA All-World is available now for iOS and Android.

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