NBA hopes augmented reality basketball game will be next Pokémon Go

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Niantic, the company behind Pokémon Go, is teaming up with the NBA and NBA Players Association to launch "NBA All-World," a new mobile game that brings the NBA world to neighborhoods globally. (Image courtesy of Niantic)

Niantic, the company behind the hit game "Pokémon Go" is diving into the sports world for its latest creation.

The San Francisco-based software company is teaming up with the NBA and NBA Players Association to launch "NBA All-World," a new mobile game that brings the NBA world to neighborhoods globally, according to a release from the NBA.

This new free-to-play augmented reality game lets gamers find, challenge, and compete against current NBA players in their communities. Gamers can also recruit an NBA player to their team before proving themselves on the court, the NBA explained in a release.

"Sports are a huge part of people’s lives and a huge part of pop culture," John Hanke, founder & CEO of Niantic, said in a release. "Our version of an NBA basketball game starts with exciting one-on-one gameplay and expands from there to include the major elements of basketball culture, including music, fashion, sneakers and more, all of which are integrated into real world locations."

Gamers can dress their teams in the latest gear in the mobile game by searching for real-world drops from various clothing brands. And players can show off their teams and interact with friends in the game and compete in one-on-one tournaments to win exclusive in-game items, according to the NBA.

Adrienne O’Keeffe, the NBA’s vice president for global partnerships, said the league and Niantic began discussing a collaboration about five years ago, shortly after "Pokémon Go" launched in 2016, according to Niantic.

"They came to us about the same time we were thinking about them," O’Keeffe said in a statement. "From our first meeting it was clear that we saw where this could go, and ever since then, we’ve been working on the game and getting ready for this moment."

"NBA All-World" is available now on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

This story was reported from Washington, D.C.