Throughout the years, there have been ways to know whether or not you've "made it."
Being on the cover of a Wheaties box.
Getting invited to sit next to Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show.
Today, there's a new benchmark:
Becoming immortalized in a video game.
Coming Soon: The PPA Pickleball Tour Video Game
On July 17th, The PPA Pickleball Tour video game is being released on Xbox, Playstation, and Steam.
We were teased with this back in November of last year when Jay Devilliers picked up a controller:
And now, we're seeing it pop up across social media:
COMIMG SOON 👀
— Carvana PPA Tour (@PPAtour) July 9, 2024
The PPA Pickleball Tour video game featuring sixteen of the top pickleball players in the world!!
Releasing on @Xbox @PlayStation @Steam on July 17th 💥 #videogamelaunch #ppatour #pickleball pic.twitter.com/AlMKExlAn5
Catherine Parenteau got in on the action, playing as herself at a recent PPA Tour event:
And, of course, you gotta let the kids play.
You can see the teaser for the game here:
Some cool features of the game
- Create the ultimate Pickleball Player and level them up earning XP in Career Mode.
- Elevate your Pickleball skills to the next level playing against the top pickleball pros in the world including Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters.
- Motion captured player movement for every pro in the game.
- Compete for a Triple Crown in PPA Tour events set in San Clemente or Atlanta in Career Mode.
- Outwit and outplay advanced AI developed from analyzing professional matches.
- Hit Dinks, Drives, Ernes, ATPs, Overhead Smashes, Dink Battles, and Fire Fights!
- Play Singles or Doubles matches in All Modes.
- Dave Fleming and Michelle McMahon commentary offers expert critiques while also complimenting quality shots and strategy.
We've come a long way, pickleballers
So far, the gameplay looks a bit ... not great, honestly.
But, so what?
It's pretty amazing that this little plastic ball sport will become a video game played by kids (and secretly by many adults) worldwide.
We have our fingers crossed hoping we can unlock JOOLA Gen3 paddles with a cheat code.
