‘Pokémon Go’ may as well be an Olympic sport this year

By Lulu Chang Published August 15, 2016

It’s already bigger than Tinder, has overtaken Twitter, and now, Pokémon Go is giving top athletes a run for their money, too. That’s right — the wildly successful game just may be more popular than the Olympics, even distracting some Olympians from their rigorous schedules.

Apparently, fans are going for the Olympics, but staying for the Pokémon. Even as some of the most impressive feats of athletic prowess in the world take place, young Brazilians (and those of other nationalities as well) can’t take their eyes of their smartphone screens. On Saturday, Reuters reports that, “hundreds” of Brazilians went to a park in Rio de Janeiro, not to cheer on any particular team, but to hunt for their own teams of Pokémon.

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Much of the craze can be attributed to the very recent debut of the game in the country. It was released in Brazil only two days before the Olympics’ opening ceremony, and while the Olympics may only take place once every four years, it seems that Brazilian fans have been waiting their whole lives for Pokémon action.

“I went to a football game to see Brazil play Sweden, but after Pokémon Go started I lost interest,” student Lourdes Drummond told Reuters. True dedication.

Athletes aren’t immune to the charms of the app either. Kohei Uchimura, the Japanese gymnast often considered the best of all time (he just won his second consecutive men’s individual all-around gold), is a huge fan of the game, too. In fact, his addiction has cost almost $5,000 in international phone charges.

“There is no interest in the Olympics here, just how to get to the next stop where there are the most Pokémon,” 31-year-old sociologist Joao Carlos Barssani told Reuters. Because really, what’s awesome athleticism when compared to augmented reality?

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Gaming

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.

Gaming

Marvel World of Heroes is the next AR game from Pokémon Go studio

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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

Gaming

Pokémon Go studio cancels four titles, including its Transformers game

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Niantic, the hitmaker behind Pokémon Go and Pikmin Bloom, is buckling up for some hard times. The company announced it has canceled the production of four games and laid off 8% of its staff.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Niantic CEO John Hanke wrote a companywide email saying that around 85 to 90 employees were getting laid off. Hanke explained that the company has been "facing a time of economic turmoil" and has resorted to "reducing costs in a variety of areas." That meant canceling four games, including Transformers game, Heavy Metal, and Hamlet.