Pokémon Go Dev Moves to Reassure Players After $3.5 Billion Sale to Monopoly Go! Company Is Confirmed

Niantic Inc. has sold its Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now franchises, along with their development teams, to Scopely, a Saudi-owned gaming company, for $3.5 billion. An additional $350 million in cash brings the total deal value to approximately $3.85 billion for Niantic equity holders.

Scopely, a subsidiary of Savvy Games, highlighted the acquired games' success: over 30 million monthly active users (MAUs), over 20 million weekly active users, and over $1 billion in revenue in 2024. Pokémon Go, a top 10 mobile game since its launch, boasts over 100 million unique players in 2024.

Niantic stated its game teams have robust long-term plans and will continue development under Scopely. The company emphasized continued support for existing games, apps, services, and events, assuring players of ongoing investment and familiar team leadership.

Pokémon Go's chief, Ed Wu, addressed player concerns, emphasizing Scopely's admiration for the community and team. He expressed confidence in Pokémon Go's continued growth and success under Scopely, highlighting the shared commitment to the game's long-term vision and real-world community engagement. Wu reassured players that the core team remains intact and will continue developing the game, including features like Raid Battles, Go Battle League, and live events. He praised Scopely's approach to empowering individual game teams and their focus on long-term player experience over short-term gains. Wu also highlighted the continued partnership with The Pokémon Company and their shared vision for the game. He concluded by expressing gratitude to the community and his belief that the best is yet to come.

Niantic is also spinning off its geospatial AI business into a new entity, Niantic Spatial Inc., receiving $200 million in investment from itself and $50 million from Scopely. Niantic Spatial will retain Ingress Prime and Peridot.