Niantic Inc. has announced the sale of its flagship games, including Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now, along with their development teams, to Scopely, the Saudi-owned creator of Monopoly Go!, for a staggering $3.5 billion. Additionally, Niantic will distribute $350 million in cash to its equity holders, bringing the total deal value to approximately $3.85 billion.
Scopely, a subsidiary of the Saudi investment firm Savvy Games, highlighted that the acquired Niantic games boast over 30 million monthly active users (MAUs) and 20 million weekly active users, generating more than $1 billion in revenue in 2024 alone. Pokémon Go stands out as the crown jewel, 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 that its game teams are poised to continue their ambitious long-term roadmaps under Scopely's umbrella. In a blog post, Niantic stated, "This partnership ensures that our games have the long-term support needed to be 'forever games' that will endure for future generations." They reassured players that the beloved games, apps, services, and events will continue to receive investment and be developed by the same dedicated teams.
In a separate blog post, Pokémon Go's chief, Ed Wu, addressed community concerns about the game's future post-sale. Wu, who was instrumental in the game's development since its 2016 launch, expressed confidence in the partnership with Scopely. He stated, "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, under the mission of discovering Pokémon in the real world and inspiring people to explore together."
Wu emphasized the continuity of the Pokémon Go team and their ongoing commitment to enhancing the game with features like Raid Battles, Go Battle League, Routes, and live events such as Pokémon Go Fest. He highlighted Scopely's approach of empowering game teams to pursue their creative visions autonomously, which aligns well with Niantic's values. Wu also noted the importance of their long-standing partnership with The Pokémon Company, which will continue to guide the game's development.
Wu concluded with a message of gratitude and optimism, saying, "I have so much gratitude for the incredible joy of serving hundreds of millions of Trainers in our real-world community for the past nine years, and I truly believe the best is yet to come."
In other news, Niantic is spinning off its geospatial AI business into a new entity, Niantic Spatial Inc., to accelerate its growth. Scopely is investing $50 million in this venture, with Niantic contributing an additional $200 million. Niantic Spatial will continue to operate other real-world AR games, such as Ingress Prime and Peridot.
