Niantic Inc. has confirmed the sale of Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now, and their improvement groups to the Saudi-owned maker of Monopoly Go! for $3.5 billion.
An further $350 million of money from Niantic is being distributed as a part of the deal, yielding a complete worth of roughly $3.85 billion for Niantic fairness holders.
In a note to press, Scopely, which is owned by Saudi funding firm Savvy Games, stated the Niantic video games enterprise has over 30 million month-to-month lively gamers (MAUs), over 20 million weekly lively gamers, and noticed greater than $1 billion in income in 2024. Pokémon Go is the jewel within the crown, rating as a prime 10 cellular sport yearly since its launch practically a decade in the past, with over 100 million distinctive gamers in 2024.
Niantic stated its sport group has “thrilling long-term roadmaps that they’ll proceed to construct upon as a part of Scopely.”
“This partnership ensures that our video games have the long run help wanted to be ‘without end video games’ that can endure for future generations,” Niantic stated in a weblog publish.
“Players can anticipate that the video games, apps, companies, and occasions they know and love will proceed to obtain Scopely’s ongoing funding, pushed by the identical groups which have at all times created these experiences.”
In a separate blog post, Pokémon Go chief Ed Wu moved to reassure gamers who had already expressed concern in regards to the destiny of the sport if a sale have been to undergo.
“As it’s at all times essential to me, and our complete sport group, that our group understands and is happy by the long-term imaginative and prescient for this sport, I need to share why I consider a partnership with Scopely will likely be a optimistic step for all of you and the sport’s future,” Wu, who was the unique engineer on the Pokémon GO codebase and was there for its huge 2016 launch, stated.
“Scopely expressed a deep admiration for this group and our group. I’ve each perception Pokémon GO will additional flourish as a part of Scopely, not solely into its second decade, however for a lot of extra years to return, underneath the mission of discovering Pokémon in the true world and provoking folks to discover collectively,” Wu continued.
“Our new partnership, together with our decade lengthy partnership with The Pokémon Company, means we are able to keep this long-term focus. Scopely totally believes in our mission and ongoing purpose to create the very best Pokémon Go expertise doable. Their focus will likely be to help our group, offering assets to proceed delivering the gameplay you all know and love.
“The complete Pokémon Go group is staying collectively by means of this partnership. The identical individuals who have been guiding and constructing the sport for years will proceed doing what we love. We’re at all times regularly including to the sport – Raid Battles, pals, Go Battle League, Routes, Dynamax/Gigantamax, and, after all, Pokémon Go Fest and our reside occasions – which I sit up for persevering with to do for a few years to return. Scopely empowers their sport groups as autonomous teams to go after the roadmaps that they’re impressed to pursue, and what every group believes is greatest for the participant expertise. This method is extraordinarily interesting to us at Niantic video games. I’ve spoken to a variety of sport leaders at Scopely who’ve given me nice confidence in how the corporate permits every sport to independently develop and creatively thrive.
“We will likely be becoming a member of a broader group devoted to video games. I consider that Pokémon Go can proceed to thrive with Scopely’s unique and long-term deal with game-making. Scopely’s standing as a non-public firm additionally means we are able to prioritize what’s greatest for you, our Trainers, for the long run. We consider that prioritizing short-term features on the expense of our long-term mission could be counterproductive and self-defeating. Every interplay I’ve had with Scopely leaders has bolstered that we’re in whole settlement that the dimensions, longevity and most of all, actual world group, of Pokémon Go make it actually particular. We are united in defending that.
“With Scopely’s full dedication, expertise and assets, we’re going to make Pokémon Go the perfect it may be – with unimaginable battles for hundreds of Trainers at a time at our reside occasions and new methods to hook up with your mates and group, all whereas remaining centered on the thrill and expertise of discovering Pokémon in the true world. We have invested to empower hundreds of Community Leaders and Ambassadors who lead thousands and thousands of Trainers to play collectively in the true world, and Scopely is in full settlement that this highly-admired program will likely be a precedence to spend money on collectively. The real-world group that loves Pokémon Go will stay our guiding mild in all we do.
“Our companions at The Pokémon Company have at all times been central to how we construct this sport collectively, beginning with the physics of the primary Poké Ball throw that we hand-tuned collectively. I’m extremely grateful for his or her day by day knowledge, steering, and cautious stewardship of our shared imaginative and prescient for locating Pokémon in the true world, and I’m very excited that our partnership with The Pokémon Company will proceed because it has for the final decade.
“I gained’t say that Pokémon Go will stay the identical, as a result of it has at all times been a piece in progress. But how we create and evolve it’ll stay unchanged, and I hope that we are able to make the expertise even higher for all of you.
“I’ve a lot gratitude for the unimaginable pleasure of serving a whole bunch of thousands and thousands of Trainers in our real-world group for the previous 9 years, and I really consider the very best is but to return.”
Elsewhere, Niantic stated it’s spinning off its controversial geospatial AI enterprise into a brand new firm, Niantic Spatial Inc., “enabling it to speed up and scale much more quickly.” Scopely is a $50 million investor on this new enterprise, which additionally has $200 million from Niantic itself.
Niantic Spatial will proceed to personal and function its different real-world AR video games, Ingress Prime and Peridot.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
