Just over two weeks ago, Bloomberg reported that Niantic wanted to sell its games division. Today, the deal has been made official, and just as was mentioned in that report, the buyer is Scopely (for $3.5 billion, though Niantic is contributing an extra $350 million of cash for the benefit of stakeholders).
The Californian company is already the second biggest mobile publisher per revenue in 2024 (albeit at a great distance from leader Tencent) thanks to popular titles like MONOPOLY GO!, Marvel Strike Force, Star Trek Fleet Command, and more. Now, it will add the rights to Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now, as well as the companion apps Campfire and Wayfarer. Pokémon GO remains the proverbial golden goose, as it still engaged over a hundred million unique users last year. Overall, Scopely now boasts that its portfolio, combined with that of Niantic Games, has reached over half a billion gamers in 2024, making it one of the biggest gaming communities.
Tim O’Brien, Chief Revenue Officer and Board Member of Scopely, provided the following statement to explain the motives behind this acquisition:
Scopely has always been focused on cultivating meaningful communities through a shared love of play, and the Niantic games organization is one of the best in the world at this endeavor. We are extremely inspired by what the team has built over the last decade, delivering innovative experiences that captivate a vast, enduring global audience and get people out in the real world. We look forward to further accelerating the team’s creativity through our partnership. Few games in the world have delivered the scale and longevity of ‘Pokémon GO’, which reached over 100 million players just last year. The experience also stands apart for its unique ability to foster in-person connections, with Pokémon GO live events attracting millions of attendees. After spending time with the Niantic team, it quickly became clear that this organization shares our inclination to create industry-leading outcomes and exceptional player experiences. We look forward to a bright future ahead.
John Hanke, founder and CEO of Niantic, added:
Niantic games have always been a bridge to connect people and inspire exploration, and I am confident they will continue to do both as part of Scopely. Scopely shares our focus on building and operating incredible live services, has exceptional experience working with the world's biggest and most beloved intellectual properties, and cares deeply about its player communities and game-making teams. I firmly believe this partnership is great for our players and is the best way to ensure that our games have the long-term support and investment needed to be 'forever games' that will endure for future generations.
By the way, Niantic is simultaneously spinning off its technology platform into a new company called Niantic Spatial, which was described as a 'geospatial AI company powered by a next-generation map'. This company will continue to operate Ingress Prime and Peridot.
For all the Pokémon GO players, Senior Vice President Ed Wu also had a prepared statement:
It’s been an incredible joy to serve hundreds of millions of Trainers in our real-world community for the past 10 years, and I truly believe the best is yet to come. Our mission remains clear: to inspire people to discover Pokémon in the real world together. With Scopely’s full commitment, experience, and resources, we're going to make Pokémon GO the very best it can be - from incredible battles for thousands of Trainers at a time at our live events to new ways to connect to your friends and community. Most importantly, we’ll remain focused on the excitement and experience of discovering Pokémon in the real world.
There's also a dedicated letter published on the game's website for those interested in more details.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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