After the success of Pokémon Go and Pikmin Bloom, Niantic has officially launched a new augmented reality game: NBA All-World. As the name implies, the new title is basketball-themed and allows players to create their own NBA teams and collect hardwood equipment from around their neighborhood.
The game is free-to-play, which means that it is available for free on all digital stores (Google Play Store for Android devices and App Store for iOS). Players can also compete against each other in street basketball-style 1v1 matches.
How NBA All-World works
Just like Pokémon Go, NBA All-World takes advantage of the players’ geolocation to introduce you to the real world elements of augmented reality (AR), such as shoe or sportswear shops. Players will be able to move in real space and accumulate virtual objects for use in the field.
From day one, that is from today, the game includes a limited series of mini-games as one three-point shooting competition and a challenge against the clock (Beat The Clock). Users can also challenge each other in 1v1 matches in which whoever gets to 5 points wins. Every local basketball court (which means there may be one right by your house) has its own leaderboard. You will be able to challenge the champion of the course at any time, playing against a member of his team managed by the AI. The concept behind it, again, is the same as Pokémon Go.
Player stats are divided into offense, defense, fitness, energy, and overall level. These affect the performance on the pitch when the player is managed by the AI (so when challenged by other users). Niantic has announced that all the players in the game are athletes under contract with the NBA, it is no coincidence that it is already possible to enlist basketball players of the caliber of Stephen Curry e Jordan Poole.