Mobile gaming company Scopely, the producer of Stumble Guys and MONOPOLY GO!, has just closed a deal to acquire San Francisco-based techco Niantic’s entire gaming business for US$3.5 billion—including Pokémon GO. 

Scopely will also inherit Niantic’s game development teams, with key execs Kei Kawai (chief product officer and GM) and Ed Wu (SVP of Pokémon GO) expected to remain on board in their current roles. 

This is a substantial deal in the mobile gaming industry. Niantic reaches 30 million active players each month with all the games in its portfolio, which also encompasses titles such as Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now, Campfire and Wayfarer. And this side of its business generated more than US$1 billion in revenue last year, according to Scopely. 

Pokémon GO is its crown jewel—and still a major earner, despite being nearly 10 years old. It has more than 20 million weekly active users who play 40-plus minutes per day on average. In the game, AR technology makes it look like Pokémon characters exist in the world for users to catch and collect on their mobile devices.

Another valuable asset is Monster Hunter Now, Niantic’s most recent game release. It has hit more than 15 million downloads since launching in September 2023, and roughly half of its audience plays every day. 

A handful of Niantic titles have also proven that they can work in the live event space. In 2024, the company’s Pokémon GO Fest sold more than two million tickets to several regional events that were held all over the world; and Pikmin Bloom Journey attracted upwards of 10,000 participants in Tokyo last year. 

Once it sheds its gaming division, Niantic plans to set up its AI/AR technology division as a standalone entity called Niantic Spatial. 

Pictured from left to right is Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now. Image courtesy of Scopely.