So, the buzz around Niantic’s potential sale turned out to be on point. It’s official—Scopely, a big name in mobile gaming, has snagged Niantic’s game division, the creators of the blockbuster Pokémon Go, for a cool $3.5 billion.
Niantic, along with Scopely and the Pokémon Go team, announced that Scopely will now be the new face behind Niantic Games. Scopely, known for its wide array of games like the highly successful Monopoly Go, steps in to take the reins. This acquisition also means that other AR gems from Niantic, like Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now, along with companion apps like Campfire and Wayfarer, are now part of Scopely’s world. It’s worth noting that Niantic’s gaming operations are quite a dynamo, boasting more than 30 million monthly active users and raking in over a billion dollars each year, largely thanks to Pokémon Go.
Scopely, although American-based, is actually owned by Savvy Games Group, a key player in the gaming investment scene backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. Scopely’s reputation for aggressive monetization strategies in games such as Stumble Guys, Star Trek Fleet Command, and Marvel Strike Force, however, has left some Pokémon Go fans on edge. They’ve even hinted at leaving if this deal pushed forward.
On a brighter note, Scopely has assured that they’ll keep “all members” of the Niantic Games team onboard. Ed Wu, Pokémon Go’s chief, mentioned that Scopely empowers its teams to operate independently, allowing them the freedom to pursue their own visions and what they deem best for the players. This autonomy is something that really resonated with Niantic games, according to Wu. He’s spoken with various game leaders at Scopely and gained confidence in their approach to letting each game develop independently and flourish creatively.
Meanwhile, Niantic’s geospatial technology platform, which served as the backbone for its games, is set to branch off into a new enterprise called Niantic Spatial. This spinoff will retain control of titles like the original AR hit Ingress Prime and the virtual pet game, Peridot.
