Do you have what it takes to own the court?
Schell Games and Pittsburgh native Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, want to know. The two have teamed up on a 3D basketball social gaming platform,
BattleBall, that was launched this week on Facebook.
BattleBall is available in beta to the more than 500 million Facebook users. An explosive game of one-on-one, players gain advantages through their selection of attire, equipment and skin color. It all comes together in a showdown on the virtual court.
"It's really an inventory management type game with a very rich graphical cover," explains Jake Witherell, COO. "The game play is all about managing clothing, bonus shoes, special balls and gathering points to gain more powerful shirts and shorts."
Cuban, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Mt. Lebanon High School, approached Jesse Schell with the idea. "He liked what we were doing and wanted to work together," says Witherell. "Basketball was the obvious theme."
Schell Games was founded in 2002 by Jesse Schell, a world renowned game designer and force at Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center. The company has development countless social and online games, interactive theme park attractions, toys, consoles and handhelds. In addition, Schell Games develops projects for Walt Disney, Sea World and Microsoft.
The firm has offices on the South Side of Pittsburgh and Austin, Texas.
Writer:
Deb SmitSource: Jake Witherell, Schell Games