Scopely has purchased Pokémon Go from Niantic for $3.85 billion not long after the app’s developer admitted it had used user-submitted data to power a vast artificial intelligence system. The sale also includes Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom, plus the developers behind each game.
Last year, Niantic disclosed that it had been building a geospatial mapping system using visuals gathered from Pokémon Go players. Through the game’s augmented reality feature, users were prompted to scan real-world locations. These scans were then used to help an AI model reconstruct detailed representations of parks, streets and buildings.
Pokemon Go used user cameras to develop an AI Geospacial Model. Can't have any fun without these companies using our data! pic.twitter.com/RoGU2wzsH0
— Bryan S3 (@BrianSoto683799) November 23, 2024
Niantic claimed the feature was not required and could only be used at public sites. Still, the company said it was receiving 1 million fresh scans weekly. Each scan contained hundreds of images that helped the system adapt to changes in scenery and topography that automated tools had difficulty capturing.
Scopely’s acquisition includes Pokémon Go, Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom. With the sale now complete, Niantic has shifted its focus to a new spinoff called Niantic Spatial. This business will manage its original games, Ingress and Peridot, while concentrating on scaling its AI mapping program.
Niantic's primary goal is corporate, not gameplay. The location and mapping data used to feed their geospacial machine learning model is far more valuable to them than player satisfaction.
That's why they've made countless choices against what players wanted or needed.— David Phoenix (@DavidRMPhoenix1) December 11, 2024
The new company is backed by $250 million, with most of the funds coming from Niantic and the rest from Scopely. Scopely, now responsible for Pokémon Go’s future, is known for monetization-heavy mobile games. Some of its top titles, including Monopoly Go, offer optional in-app purchases that can reach $200.
It's official.
Niantic is selling its gaming business to Scopely, within Savvy Games, for a total value upwards of $3.85B.
Pokémon Go, MH Now, Pikmin Bloom.
Big shake-up, consolidation in the space.
Niantic is also spinning out its geospacial AI business into Niantic Spatial. https://t.co/ADkn9ZT6pN pic.twitter.com/4y7vYL0Yqe
— Dom (@DomsPlaying) March 12, 2025
Niantic’s geospatial technology was built on a network of more than 50 million neural systems and operates in over 1 million locations. The company previously described challenges with collecting accurate data in tight or irregularly shaped areas where traditional vehicles couldn’t go.
The transfer of ownership has prompted questions about whether The Pokémon Company, Nintendo or Gamefreak were involved in approving the deal, but no statements from any of those entities have been issued.
