Pokémon Go Dev Assures Players Post $3.5B Sale to Monopoly Go! Company

Niantic Inc. has announced the sale of its gaming division, including popular titles like Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now, to Scopely, a company owned by the Saudi investment firm Savvy Games. The deal is valued at $3.5 billion, with an additional $350 million in cash being distributed to Niantic equity holders, bringing the total to approximately $3.85 billion.

In a press release, Scopely highlighted that Niantic's games boast over 30 million monthly active users (MAUs) and more than 20 million weekly active users, generating over $1 billion in revenue in 2024. Pokémon Go remains a standout title, consistently ranking among the top 10 mobile games since its launch nearly a decade ago, and attracting over 100 million unique players in 2024.

Niantic emphasized the continuity of its game development teams, stating, "Our game team has exciting long-term roadmaps that they will continue to build upon as part of Scopely." The company reassured players that the partnership will ensure long-term support for their games, aiming to create "forever games" that will endure for future generations. Niantic's blog post also confirmed that the games, apps, services, and events will continue to be supported and developed by the same teams under Scopely's investment.

Scopely has bought Niantic's entire games business for $3.5 billion. Image credit: Scopely.

Pokémon Go's chief, Ed Wu, addressed player concerns in a separate blog post. Wu, who was instrumental in the game's initial development and launch in 2016, expressed optimism about the partnership with Scopely. He stated that Scopely appreciates the community and the team behind Pokémon Go, and believes the game will flourish under their guidance into its second decade and beyond. Wu emphasized the continued mission of discovering Pokémon in the real world and inspiring exploration.

Wu also highlighted the ongoing collaboration with The Pokémon Company, which has been integral to the game's development since its inception. He assured players that the core focus on real-world community and experience will remain unchanged, with Scopely's commitment to supporting the game's development and community programs.

In addition to the gaming division sale, Niantic announced the spin-off of its geospatial AI business into a new entity, Niantic Spatial Inc. This new company will receive a $50 million investment from Scopely and $200 million from Niantic itself. Niantic Spatial will continue to operate other real-world AR games like Ingress Prime and Peridot.