Pokemon Go developer Niantic is being acquired by mobile game developer and publisher Scopely for a whopping $3.5 billion.
It's been confirmed that all of Niantic's current dev teams, as well as its full portfolio of games – from Pokemon Go itself to Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now – will all belong to Scopely.
In a statement, Tim O'Brien, Scopely board member and chief revenue officer, says the company has been "extremely inspired" by Niantic's efforts over the last decade, namely "delivering innovative experiences that captivate a vast, enduring global audience and get people out in the real world." He continues: "We look forward to further accelerating the team’s creativity through our partnership."
Niantic's CEO and founder John Hanke also seems optimistic, as he states: "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."
There's clearly a lot of interest from Scopely's point of view in Pokemon Go specifically, and considering its continued success, that's really no surprise. A press release calls it "one of the most successful mobile games of all time," pointing out that it still has 20 million active players every week, almost nine years since its release (the passage of time there is, frankly, frightening).
Going forward (if you'll excuse the pun), Ed Wu, the senior vice president of Pokemon Go, says that the team's "mission remains clear: to inspire people to discover Pokemon in the real world together." He continues: "With Scopely's full commitment, experience, and resources, we're going to make Pokemon 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 Pokemon in the real world."
Here's hoping, then, that players do actually see a benefit from this – it's hard to tell at this point what the impact could be. Right now, it's worth noting that the $3.5 billion transaction still has to pass regulatory approvals, and we know from the likes of Microsoft's Activision Blizzard buyout that that can take a while. Microsoft's own deal was first revealed in January 2022, but wasn't finalized until October 2023.
While you're here, be sure to check out our Pokemon Go tips to help you catch 'em all.
