Niantic Inc. has sold its Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now franchises, along with their development teams, to Scopely, a Saudi-owned gaming company, for $3.5 billion. An additional $350 million in cash brings the total deal value to approximately $3.85 billion for Niantic equity holders.
Scopely, a subsidiary of Savvy Games, highlighted the acquired games' success: over 30 million monthly active users (MAUs), over 20 million weekly active users, and over $1 billion in revenue in 2024. Pokémon Go, a top 10 mobile game since its launch, boasts over 100 million unique players in 2024.
Niantic stated its game teams possess exciting long-term plans, which will continue under Scopely's guidance. The company emphasized its commitment to maintaining the current quality and ongoing support for its games, assuring players that the games, apps, services, and events will continue with Scopely's investment, managed by the original development teams.
Pokémon Go's chief, Ed Wu, addressed player concerns, emphasizing Scopely's admiration for the community and team. He expressed confidence that Pokémon Go will thrive under Scopely's leadership, continuing its mission of real-world Pokémon discovery and encouraging exploration. He highlighted Scopely's commitment to supporting the team and providing resources to maintain the existing gameplay while allowing for continued innovation. The entire Pokémon Go team remains intact, committed to ongoing development, including features like Raid Battles, Go Battle League, and live events. Scopely's approach to empowering independent game development teams resonated strongly with the Niantic team. Wu stressed Scopely's long-term vision and commitment to the real-world community aspect of Pokémon Go, emphasizing a shared focus on the game's unique qualities. He reassured players that the core experience will remain, with improvements and expansions to come, supported by The Pokémon Company's continued partnership.
Separately, Niantic is launching Niantic Spatial Inc., a new company focusing on its geospatial AI business, with Scopely investing $50 million and Niantic contributing $200 million. Niantic Spatial will retain Ingress Prime and Peridot.
