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

Niantic Inc. has recently announced the sale of its popular titles, 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 substantial sum of $3.5 billion. Additionally, Niantic is distributing $350 million in cash to its equity holders as part of this deal, bringing the total value to approximately $3.85 billion.

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

Niantic emphasized that its game teams are set to continue their work under Scopely, focusing on long-term roadmaps to ensure the games remain 'forever games' enjoyed by future generations. "This partnership ensures that our games have the long term support needed to be ‘forever games’ that will endure for future generations," Niantic stated in a blog post. They reassured players that the games, apps, services, and events will continue to evolve with Scopely's investment and the dedication of the original teams.

Scopely has acquired Niantic's entire games business for $3.5 billion. Image credit: Scopely.

In a separate blog post, Pokémon Go's chief, Ed Wu, addressed the community's concerns about the game's future following the sale. Wu, who was instrumental in the game's development since its inception in 2016, expressed confidence in the partnership with Scopely. "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 stated.

Wu emphasized that the entire Pokémon Go team will remain intact, continuing to build and evolve 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 philosophy. "Scopely’s status as a private company also means we can prioritize what’s best for you, our Trainers, for the long term," Wu added.

Niantic also mentioned its ongoing partnership with The Pokémon Company, which has been crucial to the game's development and will continue into the future. Wu expressed gratitude for this collaboration and optimism about the game's evolution, stating, "I won’t say that Pokémon Go will remain the same, because it has always been a work in progress. But how we create and evolve it will remain unchanged, and I hope that we can make the experience even better for all of you."

In addition to the game sale, Niantic announced the spin-off of its geospatial AI business into a new company, Niantic Spatial Inc., which will receive a $50 million investment from Scopely and $200 million from Niantic itself. This new venture will continue to operate other real-world AR games, such as Ingress Prime and Peridot.