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, announced that Niantic's games boast over 30 million monthly active users (MAUs), over 20 million weekly active players, and generated over $1 billion in revenue in 2024. Pokémon Go, a standout performer, consistently ranks among the top 10 mobile games globally and attracted over 100 million unique players in 2024.

Niantic stated its game teams possess robust long-term plans, which will continue under Scopely's guidance. The company emphasized its commitment to maintaining the games, apps, services, and events players enjoy, assuring continued investment driven by the original development teams.

Pokémon Go's chief, Ed Wu, addressed player concerns in a separate blog post. He highlighted Scopely's admiration for the community and team, expressing confidence in Pokémon Go's continued success and growth under Scopely's ownership, extending beyond its second decade. He emphasized Scopely's support for the team, providing resources to maintain the existing gameplay and features while empowering the team's creative autonomy. Wu reassured players that the core Pokémon Go team remains intact, continuing to develop and add new features such as Raid Battles, friends, Go Battle League, Routes, Dynamax/Gigantamax, and live events. He also highlighted Scopely's commitment to the game's long-term vision and the real-world community aspect of Pokémon Go. Wu emphasized the continued partnership with The Pokémon Company and their shared vision for the game's future. He acknowledged the game's ongoing evolution while assuring players that the core development philosophy remains unchanged.

Niantic is also spinning off its geospatial AI business into a new entity, Niantic Spatial Inc., with Scopely investing $50 million and Niantic contributing $200 million. Niantic Spatial will retain ownership and operation of Ingress Prime and Peridot.