Monopoly Go developer acquires Pokémon Go in a $3.5 billion deal.

Pokémon Go will be sold to Saudi-backed Monopoly Go maker Scopely as part of a $3.5bn deal, developer Niantic has confirmed.

Word that a deal was in the offing was first reported last month. As expected, the sale includes Niantic’s entire third-party games business, which also includes Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom.

“Few games in the world have delivered the scale and longevity of Pokémon Go, which reached over 100 million players just last year,” said Tim O’Brien, Scopely’s chief revenue officer.

“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 organisation shares our inclination to create industry-leading outcomes and exceptional player experiences. We look forward to a bright future ahead.”

Pokémon Go fans had expressed deep concern over Scopely’s acquisition of the game ahead of today’s news, with many pointing to how the publisher had acquired and increasingly monetised other mobile games such as Marvel Strike Force and Star Trek Fleet Command.

Seemingly in response to those worries, today’s announcement comes alongside a lengthy blog post by Ed Wu, Niantic’s senior vice president of Pokémon Go and veteran developer on the game, explaining more about the deal’s impact. In particular, Wu highlighted Scopely’s admiration for Pokémon Go’s community and the game’s development team, which will stay together in the sale and join a larger organisation now fully dedicated to gaming.

“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 wrote.

“Our new partnership, along with our decade long partnership with The Pokémon Company, means we can maintain this long-term focus. Scopely fully believes in our mission and ongoing goal to create the best Pokémon Go experience possible. Their focus will be to support our team, providing resources to continue delivering the gameplay you all know and love.

“The same people who have been guiding and building the game for years will continue doing what we love,” Wu continued. “We’re always continually adding to the game – Raid Battles, friends, GO Battle League, Routes, Dynamax/Gigantamax, and, of course, Pokémon Go Fest and our live events – which I look forward to continuing to do for many years to come.”

Pokémon Go maker plays down sale’s impact

To date, Pokémon Go has been the product of Niantic, a company which has been praised for its push to make games that encourage outdoor gameplay and community building, but has also sometimes felt distracted by its core interest in augmented reality.

“Scopely empowers their game teams as autonomous groups to go after the roadmaps that they’re inspired to pursue, and what each team believes is best for the player experience,” Wu added. “This approach is extremely appealing to us at Niantic games. I have spoken to a number of game leaders at Scopely who have given me great confidence in how the company enables each game to independently develop and creatively thrive.”

Should Pokémon Go fans be worried about Scopely’s track record with aggressive monetisation? Wu noted that he believed “short-term gains” were not worth any long-term risk.

“I believe that Pokémon Go can continue to thrive with Scopely’s exclusive and long-term focus on game-making,” he added. “Scopely’s status as a private company also means we can prioritise what’s best for you, our Trainers, for the long term. We believe that prioritising short-term gains at the expense of our long-term mission would be counterproductive and self-defeating. Every interaction I’ve had with Scopely leaders has reinforced that we are in total agreement that the scale, longevity and most of all, real world community, of Pokémon Go make it truly special. We are united in protecting that.

“I won’t say that Pokémon Go will remain the same, because it has always been a work in progress,” Wu concluded. “But how we create and evolve it will remain unchanged, and I hope that we can make the experience even better for all of you.”

Today also brings a handful of new Pokémon Go player statistics – the game has over 20 million weekly active players, with an average of 40 minutes daily playtime. Around half of all players load up the app seven days a week.

Pikmin Bloom, which asks players to quietly spread flowers around their neighbourhood, had its highest active player count in 2024, three years after launch.

Niantic to refocus, spin out fresh company

Niantic’s original game Ingress, and virtual pet experiment Peridot will remain with the company. These will form part of Niantic Spatial, a fresh spin-off from Niantic focused on geospatial AI, still led by company founder John Hanke.

“As we grew, the company naturally evolved along two complementary paths – one focused on creating games and bringing them to the world, and the other dedicated to advancing augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and geospatial technology,” a statement from Niantic explained today.

“Meanwhile, the rapid progress in AI reinforces our belief in the future of geospatial computing to unlock new possibilities for both consumer experiences and enterprise applications. At the same time, we remain committed to creating ‘forever games’ that will last for generations.”

“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,” said Hanke. “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.”

For more on Pokémon Go’s plans for the next decade, Eurogamer had an extended chat with Ed Wu last summer as he looked ahead to Pokémon Go’s next 10 years.