It seems that Niantic’s video game business could be Pokémon Go-ing to another mobile gaming company. The popular free-to-play AR mobile app Pokémon Go has swept the nation ever since its debut in 2016. The game currently has 870 Pokémon species and hasn’t stopped fans from taking it to the streets to catch the newest and rarest pocket monsters around. In collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, Niantic developed and published the game to global success, earning them a well-established spot within the AR mobile game industry. However, Bloomberg has revealed that the company is in talks to sell its business to the Saudi Arabia-owned Scopely Inc.
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According to the Bloomberg report, a deal has been discussed between the two companies and an announcement could be made within the next few weeks. Pokémon Go is probably one of the main reasons behind the hefty price tag surrounding the deal, as some have heard the price for the business is about $3.5 billion. Some might have seen this coming, especially those who are aware of the connection between the mobile gaming company Scopely and Niantic. Scopely was acquired by Savvy Games Group, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, for $4.9 billion back in 2022, and Niantic signed a deal with Savvy in August to help expand in Saudi Arabia.
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Savvy has had high hopes for Scopely, as the entertainment company has delivered some well-known mobile games with MONOPOLY GO!, Star Trek Fleet Command, and Marvel Strike Force. Niantic’s choice to sell might seem like an upsetting move, considering the San Francisco-based company has been continuously supporting Pokémon Go on its own since 2016. Niantic has revolutionized the interactivity aspect of augmented reality mobile games, having been once a part of Google’s Geo product division until 2015.
If the deal were to go through, Scopely would have its hands on the most downloaded and profitable AR apps of all time, which would be a huge benefit to the Saudi Arabian company. Seeing how Niantic has worked with Savvy before, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this deal go through, but at the moment, nothing has been confirmed. Some reports have been stated regarding Niantic’s troubling status as the company has had a hard time matching the global success of Pokémon Go, leading to canceled titles like Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and heavy staff cuts.
Given the possibility, the mobile gaming company would have games such as Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, Ingress, and Monster Hunter Now. As to what the deal would ensure for these titles, not much would change other than Scopely taking over the future progression of these apps. A main concern could potentially point at the aspect of Niantic not having an authentic touch on the future of its games, which were grounded within location-based and AR environment gameplay. However, a deal has not been decided nor has it been confirmed publicly by both parties.
How do you feel about Niantic selling Pokémon Go to Scopely? What changes would you like to see by Scopely if the deal is made? Let us know in the comments section down below!
