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

Niantic Inc. has recently announced the sale of its major mobile games, including Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now, along with their respective development teams, to Scopely, a company owned by the Saudi investment firm Savvy Games. The deal, valued at $3.5 billion, includes an additional $350 million in cash to be distributed among Niantic's equity holders, bringing the total transaction value to approximately $3.85 billion.

Scopely highlighted that Niantic's gaming division boasts over 30 million monthly active users (MAUs) and more than 20 million weekly active players, with revenues exceeding $1 billion in 2024. Pokémon Go stands out as a key asset, consistently ranking among the top 10 mobile games since its launch nearly a decade ago and attracting over 100 million unique players in 2024 alone.

Niantic emphasized that its game teams have ambitious long-term plans, which will continue to be pursued under Scopely's ownership. "This partnership ensures that our games have the long-term support needed to be 'forever games' that will endure for future generations," Niantic stated in a blog post. The company assured fans that the games, apps, services, and events will continue to receive investment and be developed by the same dedicated teams.

To address fan concerns, Pokémon Go's lead, Ed Wu, shared his perspective in a separate blog post. Wu, who played a crucial role in the game's development since its inception, expressed confidence in Scopely's commitment to the community and the game's future. "Scopely expressed a deep admiration for this community and our team. I have every belief Pokémon GO will further flourish as part of Scopely, not only into its second decade, but for many more years to come," Wu stated. He emphasized that the partnership with Scopely, combined with the ongoing collaboration with The Pokémon Company, will enable the team to maintain a long-term focus on delivering the best possible Pokémon Go experience.

Wu also reassured fans that the entire Pokémon Go team would remain intact, continuing to develop and enhance the game with new features and events. "Scopely empowers their game teams as autonomous groups to go after the roadmaps that they’re inspired to pursue," Wu explained, adding that this approach aligns well with Niantic's vision for the game. He also highlighted Scopely's dedication to the real-world community aspect of Pokémon Go, which has been central to the game's success.

In addition to the games sale, Niantic announced the spin-off of its geospatial AI business into a new entity, Niantic Spatial Inc., to accelerate its growth. Scopely has invested $50 million in this new venture, which also received $200 million from Niantic itself. Niantic Spatial will continue to operate other AR games, such as Ingress Prime and Peridot.