For a path-connected metric space $(X,d)$, the $n$-th homotopy group $\pi _n(X)$ inherits a natural pseudometric from the $n$-th iterated loop space with the uniform metric. This pseudometric gives $\pi _n(X)$ the structure of a topological group, and when $X$ is compact, the induced pseudometric topology is independent of the metric $d$. In this paper, we study the properties of this pseudometric and how it relates to previously studied structures on $\pi _n(X)$. Our main result is that the pseudometric topology agrees with the shape topology on $\pi _n(X)$ if $X$ is compact and $LC^{n-1}$ or if $X$ is an inverse limit of finite polyhedra with retraction bonding maps.

The notion of shape fibration with the near lifting of near multivalued paths property is studied. The relation of these maps—which agree with shape fibrations having totally disconnected fibers—with Hurewicz fibrations with the unique path lifting property is completely settled. Some results concerning homotopy and shape groups are presented for shape fibrations with the near lifting of near multivalued paths property. It is shown that for this class of shape fibrations the existence of liftings of a fine multivalued map is equivalent to an algebraic problem relative to the homotopy, shape or strong shape groups associated.