The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have announced a new partnership with Pokémon Go developer Niantic, which will see the company develop and launch an officially-licensed augmented reality (AR) mobile game, NBA All-World.

NBA All-World will be a first-of-its-kind game which will let the fans into the real-world metaverse. The game will be a free-to-play geolocation game which will allow the players to find, challenge and compete against current NBA players before recruiting them to their own team. The game will also promote the fashion section of the NBA and the players will have a chance to outfit their players in game with custom apparel. 

Marcus Matthews, Senior Producer at Niantic, commented:

“NBA All-World represents an industry first in sports games, as an original, real-world mobile game that will appeal to casual and core NBA fans alike.

“We’re creating and designing a game that empowers players to represent where they’re from and showcase their individual style.“

Matt Holt, Head of Consumer Products at the NBA, said:

“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.

“Evident in the name of the game itself, we look forward to engaging with our fans around the world through this immersive experience.“

Josh Goodstadt, EVP of Licensing for THINK450, the innovation engine of the NBPA, added:

“NBA-All World gives us the opportunity to bring NBA players into Niantic’s real-world metaverse, opening up paths for fans to interact with them in a new way.

“Niantic has proven experience building games that encourage engagement in local communities, and having our players integrated into NBA All-World adds to that immersion.“

NBA All-World will be available both on iOS and Android and will be launched during the next NBA season.