Pokémon GO meets professional basketball in NBA All World.
Niantic, the company behind popular location-based AR games such as Pokémon GO and Pikmin Bloom, just announced the latest addition to its “real-world metaverse,” a basketball-themed mobile game called NBA All-World.
Similar to the location-based AR games listed above, NBA All-World will have you exploring the real world as you search for sneakers and gear to collect, play 1-on-1 against NBA pros, and participate in a variety of mini-games. The game also features officially-licensed NBA merchandise, allowing you to deck your in-game avatar out in the latest fashion.
These and other cosmetic items can be found at select basketball courts and sporting goods stores. Just like the PokéStops you’d find in Pokémon GO, you’ll need to physically travel to these real-world locations in order to access the aforementioned goodies.
“Our team at Niantic has been hard at work to forge a new type of sports game, one that blends the real world with 1-on-1 basketball action, collecting, fashion, and more,” said Marcus Matthews, Sr. Producer of NBA All-World. “Our development partner in Orlando, HypGames, has been stellar at leveraging their sports gaming expertise to deliver a fantastic experience, one that will appeal to both casual and core hoops fans alike.”
Matthews worked as a producer on the original NBA 2K game by Sega. Since then’s remained committed to marrying his two life-long passions: sports and video games. For Matthews, NBA All-World was a “dream project.”
“I grew up in Jacksonville, FL playing sports and following all the major sports leagues,” added Matthews. “After graduating from college, I was determined to make a career out of my two passions: sports and video games. NBA All-World is the culmination of those passions!”
NBA All-World will receive a soft launch in the near future. Those interested in participating as beta testers can sign up here. The full game is expected to launch sometime during the 2022-2023 NBA season.
For more information check out the official blog post here.
Image Credit: Niantic
