‘Pokémon Go‘He broke into 2016 and transformed the world of mobile video games. He took us out, turned any corner into a digital hunting field and immersed us in augmented reality as never before. Almost a decade later, the iconic game is about to change the owner. Scopely, a developer owned by Savvy Games Group, which in turn belongs to the Saudi Sovereign Fund, has signed an agreement To buy it with other Niantic titles.
A millionaire operation. Scopely has decided to disburse $ 3.5 billion to get part of the Niantic games business, which in 2024 generated more than 1,000 million dollars in revenue and maintains a base of more than 30 million active players per month. As we can see, this agreement does not imply the total purchase of the American company, but the acquisition of a part.
If regulators are approved, Scopey, based in the United States and 950 employees in Spain distributed between Barcelona and Seville, will stay with ‘Pokémon Go’, ‘Pikmin Bloom‘ and ‘Monster Hunter Now‘, in addition to’ Campfire ‘,’ Wayfarer ‘and the global network of meetings that support them, such as live events. It will also absorb the team responsible for these projects, guaranteeing their jobs.
A catalog with several successes. Scopely is the ‘Monopoly Go’ editor, a mobile game that, although it may not sound you, It became one of the great prominent global after beating its income record in 2024. And it is not his only strong letter. It is also behind ‘Stumble Guys’, ‘Star Trek Fleet Command’ and ‘Marvel Strike Force’, games with huge communities. With this acquisition, it seeks to get your business a step further.
What will happen to Pokémon Go? One of the questions that can be asked is what will happen to the game. Scopely has given a signal by absorbing Kei Kawai and Ed Wu, veteran leaders of their studies. The company ensures that the teams “will continue with their ambitious roadmaps” and that “players can expect these games, apps and events to remain faithful to the experiences they know and love.”
One of the keys to the success of other Scopey titles has been his aggressive monetization strategy, an issue that follows in the air in regard to ‘Pokémon Go’. It is not clear if the company will apply the same model or if it will respect the current structure of the game. In any case, Pokémon remains owned by The Pokémon Companyso any important modification should have its approval.
Challenging moments for Niantic. The agreement comes after a complicated stage for Niantic. Although ‘Pokémon Go’ was a phenomenon from day one, reaching more than 500 million players in their first year, its popularity collapsed during confinements, when its mechanics based on outdoor exploration was practically unusable.
This was followed by several setbacks. Niantic canceled ‘Transformers: Heavy metal’, developed in collaboration with the creator of Sleep no More‘Punchdrunk’, in addition to two internal projects with Blue Sky and Snowball Key names. There were also layoffs: In 2023, more than 300 employees were disconnected. With this panorama, the big question is inevitable: if Niantic is letting go to its greatest success, what bet does it have for the future?
A turn to AI. Once the operation is finished, Niantic will transform its technological platform into Niantic Spatial Inc., a new Geospatial company. Its objective will be to develop a new generation map for devices and machines to interact with the physical world. As part of the agreement, Scopely will invest 50 million dollars in the company and continue to share certain data from the players.
Black gold to digital world. It is no secret that Saudi Arabia seeks reduce its dependence on oil and diversify its economy. A key piece in this strategy is its sovereign fund, owner of Scopely, the company that has just signed the agreement with Niantic. The Fund plans to invest about 40,000 million dollars in the video game industry, with the aim of creating hundreds of companies and thousands of jobs from here to 2030.
Images | Scopery | Niantic
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