Niantic Inc. has announced the sale of its flagship titles, including Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now, along with their development teams, to Scopely, a company owned by the Saudi investment firm Savvy Games, for a staggering $3.5 billion. This deal also includes an additional $350 million in cash from Niantic, bringing the total value to approximately $3.85 billion for Niantic's equity holders.

In a press release, Scopely highlighted that Niantic's games boast over 30 million monthly active users and over 20 million weekly active users, generating more than $1 billion in revenue in 2024. Among these, Pokémon Go stands out as a top performer, maintaining its status as a top 10 mobile game since its launch nearly a decade ago and attracting over 100 million unique players in 2024.

Niantic emphasized that its game teams are committed to long-term roadmaps, which they will continue to develop under Scopely's umbrella. In a blog post, Niantic stated, "This partnership ensures that our games have the long-term support needed to be 'forever games' that will endure for future generations." They reassured players that the games, apps, services, and events they love will continue to receive investment and be driven by the same dedicated teams.

In a separate blog post, Pokémon Go's chief, Ed Wu, addressed community concerns about the game's future. Wu, who was instrumental in the game's initial development and launch in 2016, expressed his belief in the positive impact of partnering with Scopely. "Scopely expressed a deep admiration for this community and our team. I have every belief Pokémon GO will further flourish as part of Scopely, not only into its second decade, but for many more years to come, under the mission of discovering Pokémon in the real world and inspiring people to explore together," Wu said.

Wu emphasized that the entire Pokémon Go team will remain intact and continue their work. He highlighted ongoing additions to the game, such as Raid Battles, Go Battle League, Routes, and live events like Pokémon Go Fest. Wu also praised Scopely's approach of allowing game teams autonomy to pursue their creative visions, which aligns well with Niantic's goals.

Wu stressed the importance of Scopely's long-term focus on game-making and its status as a private company, which allows for prioritizing long-term mission over short-term gains. He noted that Scopely shares Niantic's commitment to the real-world community and the scale and longevity of Pokémon Go.

With Scopely's resources, Wu envisions enhancing Pokémon Go's live events, community connections, and the core experience of discovering Pokémon in the real world. He also mentioned the continued partnership with The Pokémon Company, which has been integral to the game's development since its inception.

Wu concluded by expressing gratitude for serving the Pokémon Go community and optimism about the game's future, stating, "I have so much gratitude for the incredible joy of serving hundreds of millions of Trainers in our real-world community for the past nine years, and I truly believe the best is yet to come."

In addition to the game sale, Niantic announced the spin-off of its geospatial AI business into a new entity, Niantic Spatial Inc., to accelerate and scale its operations. Scopely has invested $50 million in this venture, with Niantic contributing an additional $200 million. Niantic Spatial will continue to operate other real-world AR games, such as Ingress Prime and Peridot.