Niantic in Talks to Sell to Saudi-Owned Firm Behind Stumble Guys

Niantic, the developer behind the wildly popular augmented-reality game Pokémon Go, is reportedly in negotiations to sell its video game division to Scopely, a company owned by Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group, for a staggering $3.5 billion. According to a Bloomberg report, this deal could encompass Pokémon Go, the game that has revolutionized mobile gaming by encouraging players to venture into the real world to capture Pokémon.

Sources, who spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity, revealed that although the deal is not yet finalized, it could be announced within weeks if all goes according to plan. Neither Niantic, Scopely, nor Savvy Games Group have made any public statements regarding the potential acquisition.

Scopely, which was acquired by Savvy Games Group in April 2023 for $4.9 billion, is known for publishing successful mobile games such as The Walking Dead: Road to Survival, Stumble Guys, Marvel Strike Force, and Monopoly Go. This acquisition followed the Saudi Arabian government's declaration of its intent to purchase "a leading games publisher."

In addition to Scopely, Savvy Games Group also made headlines in 2022 by purchasing two of the world's largest esports companies, ESL and FACEIT, for a combined total of $1.5 billion.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz articulated the broader vision behind these moves, stating, “Savvy Games Group is one part of our ambitious strategy aiming to make Saudi Arabia the ultimate global hub for the games and esports sector by 2030. We are harnessing the untapped potential across the esports and games sector to diversify our economy, drive innovation in the sector, and further scale the entertainment and esports competition offerings across the Kingdom.”