Pokemon GO Acquisition: Scopely Buys Niantic’s Game Portfolio for $3.5 Billion

In a major move within the mobile gaming industry, Niantic has officially confirmed the sale of its entire game portfolio—including the internationally acclaimed Pokemon GO—to Scopely, the developers behind Monopoly GO.

This high-profile transaction, valued at approximately $3.5 billion, marks one of the most significant acquisitions in the mobile gaming space and will have far-reaching implications for Nintendo Switch fans and mobile gamers worldwide. Niantic, founded in 2010 and renowned for pioneering augmented reality (AR) gaming, has been responsible for several major hits such as Pokemon GO, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now.

Pokemon GO, released in July 2016, quickly became a cultural phenomenon, driving over 100 million active players in 2023 alone.

The game’s unique AR integration and real-world event experiences, including live events with millions of in-person participants, have set an industry benchmark for interactive mobile gaming on platforms like Nintendo Switch and the eShop. The news was confirmed through a statement by Ed Wu, a senior vice president and one of Niantic’s most experienced developers, ensuring the community that all of Niantic’s active titles—Pokemon GO, Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now, and others—are part of this landmark agreement.

Scopely addressed the player community directly via a comprehensive blog post, emphasizing that the transition aims to enhance and build on the established player experience. Speaking with industry media, Scopely's Chief Revenue Officer, Tim O’Brien, highlighted the distinctive status of Pokemon GO in the gaming world.

'Very few games have achieved the scale and sustained engagement of Pokémon GO, which served over 100 million players last year,' O’Brien noted.

He also underscored the title’s "unique capacity for bringing players together offline, with live gatherings attracting audiences in the millions." O’Brien emphasized that the collaboration between Scopely and the Niantic team was driven by a shared commitment to "delivering industry-leading results and outstanding gameplay experiences." The acquisition cements Scopely’s strategic expansion into high-profile AR and location-based gaming, genres that have shown proven longevity and revenue generation.

Players of Pokemon GO and other Niantic-developed games can anticipate continued support and potentially new innovations under Scopely's leadership, as reaffirmed in both companies’ official communications. This deal reflects the increasing stakes and competition in mobile gaming and indicates a seismic shift in how legacy IPs like Pokemon, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now will be managed moving forward.

The Nintendo Switch ecosystem—already closely integrated with many of these mobile titles—stands to benefit from fresh leadership and additional resources brought by Scopely’s experienced development teams.

As the gaming community watches the next chapter in the evolution of these beloved games, all eyes remain on how Scopely will steward some of the most influential titles in the industry.

Pokémon Monster Hunter Niantic Scopely Monster Hunter Now Pikmin Bloom Pokemon GO Pikmin Nintendo Switch Nintendo eShop Switch