"Pokémon Go" Moves to a New Gaming Empire for a Pretty Penny
- Smartphone Game Pokémon Go Acquired by Saudi Firm
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Brace yourself! , the beloved smartphone game, is about to switch masters in a mega-billion dollar transaction. The original developers, Niantic, have agreed to sell the lion's share of their gaming business for a whopping $3.5 billion. The acquisitor, Scopely, is backed by the Saudi Arabian sovereign fund and ready to give our little Pokémon friends a new home.
The Crew Stays Put
Rest assured, despite this major change, the dedicated team behind "Pokémon Go", "Pikmin Bloom", and "Monster Hunter Now" will remain the undisputed brains of the operation. Niantic plans to shift its focus to artificial intelligence and their geodata platform, while retaining exclusive rights to "Ingress Prime" and "Peridot", two games born in-house.
Ah, memories! lit up smartphone screens around the world like a Pikachu-powered bonfire upon its release in the scorching days of 2016. In this magical world, players could catch their favorite pocket monsters on their phones in real-world environments. Although Niantic has yet to create another game as memorable, a dedicated fanbase guarantees they're still making bank.
"Pokémon Go": King of the Niantic Games
This lucrative sale has shed light on some intriguing statistics. According to Scopely, a hefty 20 million weekly gamers and nearly half of them, playing daily, keep thriving. On average, each player logs in for a solid 40 minutes a day.
These figures paint a compelling picture of just how dominant "Pokémon Go" is in Niantic's gaming arena. All their games combined boast 30 million monthly users and a staggering $1 billion in annual revenue last year.
As exciting as this deal is, it's yet to receive the official nod from regulatory bodies and is expected to be finalized by the end of the year. Scopely already owns some notable games, such as "Monopoly Go!", "Star Trek Fleet Command", and "MARVEL Strike Force". A well-renowned financial news outlet, Bloomberg, leaked the news of Niantic's game sale and the massive $3.5 billion price tag just a few weeks ago.
- The following are the categories of products under Niantic's gaming business: Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now.
- The regulatory bodies are yet to approve the mega-billion dollar transaction between Niantic and Scopely, who is backed by the Saudi Arabian sovereign fund.
- Pokémon Go, one of Niantic's core games, generates earnings from a hefty 20 million weekly gamers, with nearly half of them playing daily, contributing to $1 billion in annual regulatory-approved earnings.
