In what is potentially concerning news for Pokémon GO fans, Bloomberg is reporting that Niantic is close to a deal that would sell of it’s video games business to the Saudi Arabia-owned Scopely Inc.
The article, which has also been re shared on Yahoo News, reports that allegedly the deal is expected to be confirmed and announced in the next few weeks, with a figure of around $3.5 billion as the expected price. Bloomberg states:
“Any agreement would involve the Pokémon title as well as other mobile games, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. There’s no assurance an agreement will be reached.”
At present representatives of Niantic and Scopely have both declined to comment. Scopely is a name that is familiar in mobile games, with Monopoly GO, Star Trek Fleet Command, Marvel Strike Force, and many more, all part of its current roster of mobile games. Their website states their mission to be ‘Inspire, Play, Every Day’. Scopely does have offices and studios around the globe, including several in the United States and Europe.
Scopely is owned by Savvy Games Group, which is a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The Public Investment Fund is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. According to Wikipedia it is among the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world with total estimated assets of US$930 billion. It was created in 1971 for the purpose of investing funds on behalf of the Government of Saudi Arabia. Since 2014 it has been allowed to invest in businesses and companies from outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and has invested in various companies, including Uber and Tesla.
Niantic does have a current relationship with Saudi Arabia, in August 2024, Niantic signed a deal with the Savvy Games Group to help it expand in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
Savvy is part of the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s larger effort to diversify its economy by investing in the video-game industry. It describes itself as ‘a games and esports company formed with a mission to drive the long-term growth and development of esports and the broader games industry worldwide.’
We don’t yet know what this could potentially mean for Pokémon GO, or indeed the staff at Niantic itself who work on the game. We hope that if does does come to fruition, that the game will not change too drastically, and that the staff will keep their jobs.
We know that the Hub will continue to report on Pokémon GO whatever happens, and will continue to support the community as we have done since the game began.
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