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. The deal, valued at $3.5 billion, also includes an additional $350 million in cash from Niantic, bringing the total value to approximately $3.85 billion for Niantic's equity holders.

In a statement to the press, Scopely highlighted that the Niantic games business boasts over 30 million monthly active users (MAUs) and more than 20 million weekly active users. The games generated over $1 billion in revenue in 2024 alone. Among these, Pokémon Go stands out as a top performer, consistently ranking in the top 10 mobile games since its launch nearly a decade ago, with over 100 million unique players in 2024.

Niantic expressed enthusiasm about the future, stating that the game teams have "exciting long-term roadmaps" that they will continue to develop under Scopely's umbrella. The company emphasized that this partnership will provide the necessary long-term support to ensure these games remain "forever games," enduring for future generations. They reassured players that the games, apps, services, and events will continue to receive investment and be managed by the same teams that have been creating these experiences.

In a separate blog post, Ed Wu, the chief of Pokémon Go, addressed concerns from the community about the game's future post-sale. Wu, who has been with the game since its inception in 2016, shared his belief that partnering with Scopely will be beneficial for the game and its players. He emphasized Scopely's admiration for the Pokémon Go community and their commitment to supporting the game's mission of discovering Pokémon in the real world and fostering exploration.

Wu also highlighted the continued partnership with The Pokémon Company, which has been integral to the game's development from the start. He assured players that the entire Pokémon Go team will remain intact, continuing to work on the game's evolution, including Raid Battles, friends, Go Battle League, Routes, Dynamax/Gigantamax, and live events like Pokémon Go Fest.

Niantic also announced the spin-off of its geospatial AI business into a new entity, Niantic Spatial Inc., to accelerate and scale its operations. Scopely is investing $50 million in this new venture, with Niantic contributing $200 million. Niantic Spatial will continue to manage other real-world AR games, Ingress Prime and Peridot.