Niantic Inc. has announced the sale of its gaming division, including popular titles like 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. The deal is valued at $3.5 billion, with an additional $350 million in cash being distributed to Niantic equity holders, totaling approximately $3.85 billion.
Scopely highlighted that the Niantic games business boasts over 30 million monthly active users (MAUs), more than 20 million weekly active users, and generated over $1 billion in revenue in 2024. Pokémon Go, in particular, remains a flagship title, consistently ranking among the top 10 mobile games since its launch and attracting over 100 million unique players in 2024.
Niantic emphasized that its game teams have ambitious long-term plans that will be pursued 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. Players can expect that the games, apps, services, and events they know and love will continue to receive Scopely’s ongoing investment, driven by the same teams that have always created these experiences.”
In a separate statement, Pokémon Go's chief, Ed Wu, addressed concerns from the community about the game's future. Wu, a key figure since the game's inception, reassured players of the positive impact of the partnership with Scopely. He stated, “As it’s always important to me, and our entire game team, that our community understands and is excited by the long-term vision for this game, I want to share why I believe a partnership with Scopely will be a positive step for all of you and the game’s future.”
Wu highlighted Scopely's admiration for the Pokémon Go community and their commitment to the game's mission of real-world exploration. He noted, “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 projects, including Raid Battles, Go Battle League, Routes, and live events like Pokémon Go Fest. He praised Scopely's approach to empowering game teams to pursue their creative visions autonomously, stating, “Scopely empowers their game teams as autonomous groups to go after the roadmaps that they’re inspired to pursue, and what each team believes is best for the player experience.”
Wu also acknowledged the importance of the ongoing partnership with The Pokémon Company, which will continue to play a central role in the game's development. He expressed gratitude for their collaboration and commitment to the shared vision of real-world Pokémon discovery.
In addition to the gaming division sale, Niantic announced the spin-off of its geospatial AI business into a new company, Niantic Spatial Inc., to accelerate its growth. Scopely has invested $50 million in this venture, with Niantic contributing $200 million. Niantic Spatial will continue to operate other real-world AR games, including Ingress Prime and Peridot.
