NBA All-World, the next game to launch from Pokémon Go developer Niantic, will arrive for smartphone devices worldwide from today.
The release marks the first fresh app from Niantic to arrive since 2021’s Pikmin Bloom, with virtual pet experience Peridot and a game based around Marvel superheroes also waiting in the wings.
As you’d expect from a Niantic game, NBA All-World encourages outdoor play and exploration of your local environment, with a particular focus on the world of NBA, basketball and the sport’s wider culture. Niantic has big hopes from this collaboration, which it is aiming at some of the NBA’s many millions of fans worldwide.
Why NBA? And why should a global audience care? According to figures quoted by Niantic in a presentation I viewed last week, more than 450 million people regularly play basketball worldwide, while the NBA itself enjoys a viewership even bigger internationally than back at home in the States. The sport’s influence on youth culture, music and fashion is also a major draw – and Niantic intends all of this to be represented in the game as well.