Niantic, the company behind the mega hit Pokémon GO, has reached an inflection point.
Whether due to pandemic fatigue or frustration with the limitations of today’s AR technology, the Google-spawned startup has struggled to replicate the success of GO, which has become one of the to the fastest growing title in history shortly after its launch in July 2016. Niantic shut down Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, its first big title after GO, just two years after its debut, while another flagship project – Pikmin Bloom – only generated a fraction of the downloads GO got during the same period.
Last June, Niantic laid off 8% of its staff — around 85 to 90 people — and canceled four of its projects, including a Transformers game that had already entered beta testing.
Needless to say, there’s a lot to do on NBA All-World, Niantic’s latest attempt to achieve iOS and Android virality again. Revealed last summer in a joint announcement with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association, All-World – which is visually quite similar to GO – is jam-packed with merchandise, nods to basketball culture, mini-games, and opportunities to meet real-life NBA player avatars like Jordan Poole, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Andrew Wiggins.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not All-World’s core demographic. The only team I’ve ever followed is the Cleveland Cavaliers, and that’s just because I grew up near Cleveland (and, well, LeBron’s fame didn’t hurt me). Since I’m not much of a sports person — my favorite type of game involves controllers and screens — I hadn’t given All-World much thought until TechCrunch editor Darrell Etherington told me. commissioned to write a first impression article.
So I went blind to my All-World demo, which took place on a gray, gloomy, rainy afternoon at the Compound near Red Hook in Brooklyn. The Compound, I was informed by the public relations who organized the affair, was founded by hip-hop DJ Set Free Richardson of AND1 fame. Take care. Either way, the loft-like space was nicely appointed, with checkerboard-patterned rugs, Picasso-style prints, and a pool table tucked away and ready to play.
Picture credits: Kyle Wiggers / Tech Crunch
But I wasn’t there for the pool. After arriving and pouring myself a cup of coffee, I sat down on a thick leather sofa next to Glenn Chin, Global Marketing Manager at Niantic, and Marcus Matthews, Senior Producer for All-World, to walk through All-World a day before its release on the Play Store and App Store.
I started with the obvious question: why basketball, now, for Niantic? Why did the studio choose that sport for his next adventure in augmented reality? Responding candidly, Chin pointed out that licensing deals are much easier to strike with an international organization like the NBA, as opposed to, say, disparate football confederations. But he and Matthews — who grew up playing basketball in downtown Jacksonville, Florida — have also repeatedly emphasized the community aspect of basketball, especially in cities with public courts where kids and teens congregate (I’m told) to casually shoot hoops.
With a focus on social, the development team behind All-World followed in the footsteps of GO, which – beyond the strength of the Pokémon brand – resonated due to the compelling blend of shared experiences and competitive he has provided. (Think gym battles with strangers and mad races for rare Pokémon.) It’s the development of a familiar formula, but with a few twists and adaptations to meet the expectations of gaming audiences. today.
Picture credits: Niantic
As with GO, players around the world can explore their own neighborhoods in search of collectibles, bonuses, and other items from assorted intruders. Exploration requires physically walking to a location – this is a Niantic game, after all – and menu navigation through touch and swipe-based gestures. In the application, you are represented by an avatar.
All-World is built on Niantic’s Lightship platform, which leverages the Unity game engine to power graphics and gameplay. Orlando-based HypGames co-developed the experience with Niantic; HypGames CEO Mike Taramykin served as vice president and general manager of EA’s Tiger Woods franchise until 2013.
In addition to a real-world map of a player’s environment, All-World overlays items such as bonuses, challenges, gear, boosts, and in-game currency. There wasn’t much near the compound when Matthews demonstrated the game to me, but he managed to scoop up some cash that could be used for clothing for his NBA player avatars.
A central mechanic in All-World recruits these players, who can then be “upgraded” to become the “rulers” of local basketball courts. (The game currently has over 100,000 courts.) Players can compete in three-point shootouts and other time-based mini-games in recreations of real-life courts, which not only raise the level of rookies of a player, but also their overall team. level.
The team tier serves as a merit-based proxy for real-world salary caps – the higher the tier, the stronger NBA players a player from around the world can sign.
Picture credits: Kyle Wiggers / Tech Crunch
Alongside that, All-World has a strong merchandising component. Players can search for “drops” of jerseys and more (a la Supreme) from brands like Adidas and Nike that mirror real-world SKUs. Their in-game team members wear this product, some of which improve their in-game stats. Chin says the plan is to work with other brands to create and recreate accessories, balls, apparel and sneakers and even downtime with real-world product launches.
The merchandising mechanic was designed to reflect — and respect — basketball fans’ frenzy over collectibles, Chin and Matthews say. I do not doubt this fact. But there is also an obvious profit motive. All-World may be free, but it’s definitely not charity.
As another example, Niantic also plans to make money by selling “boosts” to player stats like offense and defense, which improve performance in minigames. Chin and Matthews don’t deny that players who shell out can progress faster in certain aspects of All-World. But Matthews pointed out that players don’t need to spend money if they play relatively often.
Picture credits: Niantic
That remains to be seen. I was only treated to previews of the game – which, unfortunately, had some crashing issues during the demo. (Matthews blamed poor reception at the Compound Building, which isn’t unlikely – it wasn’t good.) Very crowded mobile market.
With All-World, Niantic is betting on both NBA brand strength and AR appeal. As someone ignorant of the sport, I cannot comment on the first point. But on the latter, I wouldn’t write a eulogy for AR yet. I would say the technology is just getting started, especially if rumors of an Apple headset ever come to fruition.
If Niantic can keep All-World fresh and interesting with engaging AR-focused gameplay, it just might have a fighting chance. (My impression is that the content is a bit light at the moment, but to be honest, it’s early.) On the other hand, if All-World turns into a pay-to-win collect-a-thon on the entire online, I can’t see it top the download charts for very long – if ever.
As for what the success or failure of All-World might mean for Niantic, it wouldn’t necessarily bring down the company. Niantic sells its Lightship platform to developers as a paid service. And GO is still (pun intended) going strong, with estimated earnings of over $1 billion. Additionally, Niantic raised $300 million at a valuation of $9 billion in November 2021, more than double its valuation from 2018.
But after years of development, it would undoubtedly be a disappointment for the studio – and for the NBA leaders who obviously have faith in Niantic’s ability to spin viral magic.
