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

Niantic Inc. has recently announced the sale of its flagship games, including 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 total of $3.5 billion. Additionally, Niantic is distributing $350 million in cash to its equity holders, bringing the total deal value to approximately $3.85 billion.

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

Niantic emphasized in their blog post that the game teams have "exciting long-term roadmaps" and will continue to develop these games under Scopely's umbrella. They 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 games, apps, services, and events will continue to receive investment and be managed by the same dedicated teams.

In a separate statement, Ed Wu, the chief of Pokémon Go, addressed community concerns about the game's future post-sale. Wu, who was instrumental in the game's development since its inception in 2016, expressed optimism about 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 like Pokémon Go Fest. He highlighted Scopely's approach of empowering game teams to pursue their creative visions, which aligns well with Niantic's goals. Wu also noted the continued partnership with The Pokémon Company, which has been crucial to the game's development and success.

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 called Niantic Spatial Inc., which will allow for accelerated growth and scaling. Scopely is investing $50 million in this new 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.