Niantic Inc. has announced the sale of its gaming division, including popular titles like Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now, along with their development teams, to Scopely, a company owned by the Saudi investment firm Savvy Games, for a staggering $3.5 billion. Additionally, Niantic is distributing $350 million in cash to its equity holders, bringing the total value of the transaction to approximately $3.85 billion.
In a press release, Scopely highlighted the robust performance of Niantic's games, boasting over 30 million monthly active users (MAUs), more than 20 million weekly active users, and generating over $1 billion in revenue in 2024. Pokémon Go stands out as the flagship title, maintaining its position as a top 10 mobile game since its launch nearly a decade ago and attracting over 100 million unique players in 2024 alone.
Niantic expressed optimism about the future, stating that the game teams have "exciting long-term roadmaps" and will continue their work under Scopely's umbrella. The company emphasized that this partnership will ensure the games receive the necessary long-term support to become "forever games" cherished by future generations. Niantic assured fans that the beloved games, apps, services, and events will continue to be supported by the same dedicated teams.
Scopely has acquired Niantic's entire games business for $3.5 billion. Image credit: Scopely.
In a separate blog post, Pokémon Go's chief, Ed Wu, addressed community concerns regarding the game's future post-sale. Wu, a key figure since the game's inception and its massive 2016 launch, reassured players that Scopely shares a deep admiration for the Pokémon Go community and team. He believes that the partnership will enable Pokémon Go to flourish further, aligning with the mission of encouraging real-world exploration and community engagement.
Wu emphasized the continuity of the Pokémon Go team and their commitment to ongoing development, citing features like Raid Battles, Go Battle League, Routes, and live events like Pokémon Go Fest. He highlighted Scopely's approach of empowering game teams to pursue their inspired roadmaps and creative visions, which he finds appealing. Wu also mentioned Scopely's dedication to prioritizing long-term player experience over short-term gains, aligning perfectly with Pokémon Go's ethos.
With Scopely's full commitment, resources, and experience, Wu envisions enhancing Pokémon Go with larger-scale live events and new community features, all while maintaining the core excitement of discovering Pokémon in the real world. He underscored the importance of the community program, which Scopely agrees to prioritize, and reaffirmed the continued partnership with The Pokémon Company, which has been instrumental in the game's development.
Wu concluded by expressing gratitude for the joy of serving millions of players and his belief that the best is yet to come for Pokémon Go.
In other news, Niantic is spinning off its geospatial AI business into a new entity, Niantic Spatial Inc., to accelerate growth. This new company will receive a $50 million investment from Scopely and $200 million from Niantic itself. Niantic Spatial will continue to manage other real-world AR games such as Ingress Prime and Peridot.
