The online game improvement enterprise of Pokémon Go developer Niantic is being acquired by Scopely. In line with GamesBeat, The deal is valued at $3.5 billion, and can embrace the entire numerous titles that Niantic has labored on up to now, together with Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now.
Scopely, identified for making Monopoly Go, will even be buying different Niantic-run companies and companion apps like Campfire and Wayfarer.
Pokémon Go has by far been Niantic largest sport; as of 2024, the sport boasted greater than 100 million distinctive gamers. The sport has reportedly maintained a participant base of greater than 20 million month-to-month lively customers. As a complete, Niantic reported greater than $1 billion in income in 2024.
In line with the announcement, the studios acquired by Scopely will proceed to run their video games and comply with their deliberate content material roadmaps. Studio leads Kei Kawai and Ed Wu will even be making the leap to work on the titles below Scopely.
“Scopely has at all times been centered on cultivating significant communities by means of a shared love of play, and the Niantic video games group is without doubt one of the greatest on the earth at this endeavour,” mentioned Scopely’s chief income officer and board member Tim O’Brien in an announcement. “We’re extraordinarily impressed by what the workforce has constructed over the past decade, delivering revolutionary experiences that captivate an unlimited, enduring international viewers and get individuals out in the true world.”
“We stay up for additional accelerating the workforce’s creativity by means of our partnership. Few video games on the earth have delivered the size and longevity of ‘Pokémon Go’, which reached over 100 million gamers simply final 12 months.”
O’Brien additionally spoke about how Scopely will proceed to run issues as they’ve been going for in style titles like Pokémon Go, mentioning its reside occasions.
“The expertise additionally stands aside for its distinctive potential to foster in-person connections, with Pokémon Go reside occasions attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees,” he mentioned. “After spending time with the Niantic workforce, it shortly grew to become clear that this group shares our inclination to create industry-leading outcomes and distinctive participant experiences. We stay up for a vivid future forward.”
After the acquisition goes by means of, Niantic plans on spinning off its technology-based holdings into a wholly new firm, dubbed Niantic Spatial Inc. This entity could have Niantic founder and CEO John Hanke at its helm, and can focus its efforts on being what it refers to as a “geospatial AI firm”.
Curiously, whereas the licensed video games enterprise might be acquired by Scopely, Niantic will proceed to work by itself AR video games, particularly Ingress Prime and Peridot. Growth on these titles will proceed.
Capping off the announcement has been Scopely’s assertion to gamers of Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now. On this assertion, the corporate talks about respecting the video games, and wanting to permit its builders the liberty to proceed growing them.
“We’ve lengthy admired the revolutionary gameplay pioneered by the Niantic video games workforce and the colourful communities which have formed the titles into the beloved xperiences they’re right this moment. We deeply respect what makes these video games particular – the liberty to discover, the neighborhood solid alongside the best way, and the fun of discovery,” Scopely mentioned in its assertion. “We imagine our partnership with the Niantic video games workforce – who will all be part of Scopely by means of this acquisition – will additional allow them to realize their thrilling long-term targets, that are designed at first with you in thoughts.”
