Pokémon Go will be sold to Monopoly Go maker Scopely as part of a $3.5bn deal, developer Niantic has confirmed.
Following a report last month that a deal was in the offing, the news has now been confirmed by Ed Wu, Niantic’s senior vice president of Pokémon Go and veteran developer on the game.
The deal 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.”
Today’s news 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’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.
“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.”
More to follow.
