NBA Now shows how Gamevil wants to dunk into the mobile sports game market

Mobile developer and publisher Gamevil hopes the market has room for a basketball game that isn't coming from 2K Sports or EA Sports. Today it's launching NBA Now, a challenger to these two established brands.

This free-to-play game is out now for iOS and Android. It shows a growing interest in sports games from Gamevil, joining MLB Perfect Innings 2019. And like with other NBA games, you buy packs of players, opening them like collectible cards. The players in each pack are random.

Data from mobile intelligence firm Sensor Tower shows why Gamevil is interested in getting into hoops and sports games in general. This chart shows the downloads that NBA 2K Mobile (November 2018) and NBA Live Mobile (July 2016) have had since their launches through October 16.

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• Downloads since launch: 11.6 million
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• Revenue since launch: $10.4 million
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• Strongest regions: U.S., Japan, and Canada

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• Downloads since launch: 103.7 million
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• Revenue since launch: $163.4 million
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• Strongest regions: U.S., Brazil, and Philipines

Gamevil is betting that its more casual take on pro hoops will appeal to those who skipped 2K and Live ... or tired of their grinds.

NBA Now is a blend of lite management and basketball sim. You're the team's GM, and you build a squad of players from the league's stars (or even some scrubs). Gamevil claims you can play it with one-touch controls on a vertical screen, saying that these simplistic controls open it to a broader audience (though as it's already mobile, controls aren't that tough in the aforementioned NBA games. I guess this means you can play it while holding on to a handle on the subway).

NBA Now also has a variety of modes, uniforms, and courts. It also pulls in real-time stats top adjust player ratings throughout the season.