Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) Scopely is set to pay $3.5 billion to acquire Niantic's gaming division, known for its popular mobile game Pokémon Go. According to the BBC, this acquisition is part of the country's broader strategy to invest heavily in and grow its gaming industry, having already spent billions in recent years. In Pokémon Go, players explore the real world to catch virtual creatures that appear on their phone screens using augmented reality. Despite its launch nearly ten years ago, it remains one of the highest-grossing mobile games globally, with 30 million active players each month, BBC reported. The Pokémon brand is owned jointly by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, which granted Niantic the license to develop the game. The acquisition also includes Niantic's other games, such as Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom. These games and their creators will join Scopely Inc, which was acquired by Saudi Arabia's PIF subsidiary, Savvy Games Group, for $4.9 billion in 2023. Niantic has sold Pokémon Go, along with its entire games business, for $3.5 billion It was acquired by Scopely, the makers of Monopoly Go pic.twitter.com/7Bo52AeUgQ — Dexerto (@Dexerto) March 12, 2025 The announcement triggered a conversation on the future of Pokémon, with a user saying, “Is it possible to transfer all my Pokemon to my Switch from Go? I'd like to keep my shiny Glameow.” Another user commented, “Pokemon GO is far from dead. There are still tons of people who play. In-person communities outside of big cities are pretty much dead, if not already.” “I mean I’m somewhat hopeful. Niantic doesn’t listen to players and hasn’t done any type of overhaul or redesign to many features that have desperately needed it for some time now. Idk anything about Scopely though so I could be completely wrong," a third user said.
