Cell gaming agency Scopely is paying $3.5 billion to accumulate the online game enterprise of Niantic, together with marquee asset Pokémon GO.
The deal additionally brings titles like Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now into Scopely’s portfolio, together with different apps and reside experiences
Niantic’s groups will proceed to be managed by their longtime recreation studio leaders Kei Kawai and Ed Wu.
Scopely is understood for cell video games like Monopoly Go, Stumble Guys, Star Trek TM Fleet Command and Marvel Strike Pressure.
Pokémon GO, first launched in 2016, stays a world phenomenon. It attracted greater than 100 million gamers in 2024 and has remained a high 10 cell title yearly since its launch. It ushered within the idea of augmented actuality, capitalizing on booming progress of smartphones.
The social side of the sport is a key a part of its attraction, with tens of millions of gamers additionally attending associated festivals and occasions world wide. In a weblog publish saying the deal, Scopely mentioned extra folks attended Pokémon GO Fest final yr than Coachella, Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Electrical Daisy Carnival, and Tomorrowland mixed.
The sport’s world Google search quantity prior to now seven days was almost eight instances better than the No. 1 film on Netflix, almost 10 instances better than the No. 1 tune on Spotify, and topped searches for soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Scopely has all the time been centered on cultivating significant communities by way of a shared love of play,
and the Niantic video games group is likely one of the finest on the earth at this endeavor. We’re extraordinarily
impressed by what the crew has constructed during the last decade, delivering revolutionary experiences that captivate
an unlimited, enduring world viewers and get folks out in the true world. We look ahead to additional
accelerating the crew’s creativity by way of our partnership,” mentioned Tim O’Brien, Chief Income Officer
and board member of Scopely.
