3.5$ Billion Deal: Pokémon Go maker Niantic to Sell its Games Division
Niantic, the studio that brought us Pokémon Go and made AR gaming a global sensation, is reportedly looking to sell off its game development division. According to Bloomberg, the company is in talks with Scopely—a mobile gaming powerhouse owned by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group to strike a deal worth around $3.5 billion.
Neither Niantic nor Scopely commented on the rumored sale, but if it goes through, it could mark a major shift for Niantic, which has been one of the few companies to truly crack the AR gaming formula. It all started with Ingress, a cult favorite that turned real-world locations into a high-stakes battleground. But Pokémon Go catapulted Niantic into gaming history, taking the world by storm in 2016 and changing how people played mobile games forever.
Since then, the studio has had mixed results. While its other AR titles saw some success, none matched the Pokémon Go craze. In recent years, Niantic has faced layoffs and project cancellations, including Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, an NBA game, and a Marvel-themed title.
Despite shifting gears, the company is still deep in AR tech. Last year, it upgraded its Scaniverse app to let users create 3D models of real-world objects and even teased plans for a massive geospatial model powered by machine learning. Whether this sale means Niantic is doubling down on AR infrastructure or simply refocusing, one thing’s clear—the AR gaming landscape could be in for some big changes.
