Popular Pokemon Go Creator, Niantic has announced its partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) to create an original real-world mobile game: NBA All-World. 

​A first of its kind, The NBA All-World game will place NBA Fans into the uniquely dedicated basketball real-world metaverse.

NBA All-World is essentially a free-to-play officially licensed geolocation basketball game where players can find, challenge, and compete against today’s NBA ballers in their neighbourhoods, then recruit them to their team before proving themselves on the court.

Additionally, NBA All-World will embrace the fashion of the NBA with the ability to outfit players in the game with custom apparel.

“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,” SAID MARCUS MATTHEWS, SENIOR PRODUCER AT NIANTIC. ​ “WE’RE CREATING AND DESIGNING A GAME THAT EMPOWERS PLAYERS TO REPRESENT WHERE THEY’RE FROM AND SHOWCASE THEIR INDIVIDUAL STYLE.”

Players can sign-up to be notified when NBA All-World is available in their country by visiting https://nbaallworld.com. ​ Those who sign up will be able to experience an exclusive NBA All-World AR web experience and be the first to be notified about securing their codename for use at the global launch.

The news comes on the heels of according to Bloomberg, Niantic’s cancelling four Artificial Reality(AR) Projects and cutting 8% of its staff or about 85 to 90 jobs.

Titles being cut include Transformers: Heavy Metal(a highly anticipated transformers game), Hamlet (a collaboration between the company and Punchdrunk), Blue Sky and Snowball.

Niantic has reaffirmed its commitment to existing projects and thus NBA All-World should be fine albeit it is successful at launch.