The developer of Pokemon Go, Niantic, is making their first game focused on the world of sports and it’s called NBA All-World. The new game will be a location-based game that has augmented reality elements. According to the developer, it’ll be a game where the NBA lifestyle meets the real-world metaverse.

NBA All-World Will Be Played Outside With Real Places and Objects

Many are currently wondering how, exactly, the new game will work. It appears that NBA All-World looks like the other releases of Niantic. It will fill up the map around the user with various points of interest that will be basketball-themed. According to the developer, the world around the users will be enveloped in a basketball universe or a type of basketball theme park. According to the senior producer Marcus Matthews, places and objects in the real world will turn into video game items. One example would be how the convenience store can become a location to pick up stamina for the NBA player the user is controlling.

The Location of the Player Will Matter in Niantic’s NBA All-World

Apparently, there are going to be a few elements to the overall experience. First, there will be a swipe-based one-on-one basketball, where users can go up against other players at basketball courts that appear on the map, much like a gym in Pokemon Go. There will also be a leaderboard so users can be the best at a particular location. They’ll also be able to get real-world NBA players by encountering them on the map and defeating them. Then, the user can customize the new player with gear and in-game boosts. Niantic has also stated that the game will have location-based storytelling elements that will be tied to the hometowns of the NBA stars.

Like the other Niantic releases, one of the game’s goals will be to get players outside and help them be active. According to Matthews, location will matter so users won’t be able to sit at home to play the game remotely against people who are in another city. NBA All-World will be available for both iOS and Android, and Niantic has stated that they expect it to roll out, in full, with the next NBA season.

Eric Roth is famous for titles such as Forrest Gump, The Insider, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Munich, Ali, A Star Is Born, and of course, this year’s most notable film – Dune. Despite being confident in his screenwriting skills, Dune was particularly challenging for him.

Eric Roth Wasn’t Sure if Science Fiction Would Work For Him

The screenwriter got the job for Dune after doing some uncredited rewriting on Arrival for director and filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. Roth accepted the challenge but knew that the prodigious size of the story and the giant world-building and all the entities wouldn’t be easy to script. Villeneuve wanted a real female orientation to the film. For example, it was really important for the filmmaker to properly project Bene Gesserit, the women, and the spiritual qualities of all women. However, Roth was more interested in Paul and what is the burden of being deemed a prophet.

Finding the balance is definitely something familiar to Roth but sci-fi not being his niche made him doubt his qualities.

“People expect more than what you can give them, even if you’re thought to be godlike.”

Eric Roth Is Not Involved in Dune’s Sequel

The screenwriter denied being involved in the sequel but he believes he might be and confirms that the creators were always intended to do two Dune movies. However, he shares that at the age of 76, there are other worlds to conquer. He clearly has a lot of other work and so many things he wants to do. He makes it clear that Dune will always stay important to him but still, there are other things that are equally important.

The screenwriter reminisces about his success with Forrest Gump and shares that getting a nomination was a miracle. He says people usually don’t get so lucky and he owes his success to the alchemy there was. Everyone involved, especially Bob Zemeckis, the director, and Tom Hanks inspired him and led to the success of the movie.

Roth believes that because his previous work may not be related to Dune, particularly in terms of genre, he wouldn’t be able to write a successful script that would leave so many people satisfied. It’s all about balance but also telling a certain story in the most accurate way possible.