Scopely Inc., a wholly-owned entity of Savvy Games Group, announced its agreement to acquire the games business of Niantic, Inc.
The deal, valued at $3.5 billion, will add category-leading games “Pokémon GO,” “Pikmin Bloom,” “Monster Hunter Now,” and community-builder companion apps and services “Campfire” and “Wayfarer” to Scopely’s portfolio. These games and apps have over 30 million monthly active players and drove more than $1 billion in revenue in 2024.
As one of the most successful mobile games of all time, “Pokémon GO” is an evergreen game that continues its success today. The game reaches players in over 190 countries and regions, uniting a massive fan community that averages more than 40 minutes in daily playtime. The franchise has amassed over $8 billion in lifetime revenue and driven more than 80 billion gift exchanges. Unique in-real-life events further elevate the title.
“This acquisition is another example of how Savvy is supporting Scopely in accelerating its goals, underlining Scopely’s position as one of the most influential players in games today. The games, apps, and live experiences the team are set to bring on board are an excellent fit for Scopely, further diversifying their already well-developed slate.
Niantic’s ‘Pokémon GO’ and Scopely’s ‘MONOPOLY GO!’ achieved two of the biggest mobile launches of the last decade, and it’s exciting that two of the top 10 mobile franchises in the world will now be within the Scopely portfolio. Scopely is a highly respected custodian of much-loved IP, and will bring a wealth of experience to the Niantic games business.”
Brian Ward, CEO, Savvy
“Thanks to Savvy, we are incredibly lucky to be one of the only games companies that is able to do deals of this scale. Since our acquisition in 2023, where we became an independently managed business unit under the Savvy umbrella, joining other complementary games companies, we have spent a good amount of time aligning on what we want to accomplish together.
We collectively want to be a highly dynamic and impactful games company, and finding more exceptional teams and products to join our portfolio is key to accomplishing that mission. Savvy enables us to go after our long-term big ambitions, like transformative M&A, by providing ongoing support to pursue transactions of this magnitude.
This transaction represents one of the largest games deals made by a private company in the last decade, ranking alongside Scopely’s own acquisition by Savvy in 2023 for $4.9 billion. Scopely has done many acquisitions in its 13-year history, representing billions of dollars worth of deals – from world-class games studios to groundbreaking games – and we look forward to formally welcoming the Niantic games teams to the Scopely ecosystem.”
Tim O’Brien, Chief Revenue Officer and Board Member, Scopely
Scopely’s future plans for Niantic
Upon the acquisition completing, Niantic will spin off its technology platform into a new standalone entity, Niantic Spatial Inc.
Led by Niantic CEO John Hanke, Niantic Spatial will continue to develop geospatial AI and augmented reality (AR) software for consumer and enterprise applications and will continue to own and operate augmented reality games “Ingress Prime” and “Peridot.”
Niantic Games Studios, along with their tenured leaders Kei Kawai and Ed Wu, will join the Scopely team to continue running the games business. The Niantic game-making team will join more than 2,000 Scopeleans across Asia, EMEA, North America, and Central America to continue to develop and operate their beloved experiences.
