Summary
- Scopely has bought Pokemon GO and Niantic’s other games for $3.5 billion.
- The Pokemon GO team will stay together post-acquisition.
- Though changes may occur, Scopely vows to prioritize players’ experiences.
Shortly after reports indicated that Niantic was in talks to sell its video game business, it has now been confirmed that the mega-popular Pokemon GO is being sold to Scopely. Scopely itself is owned by Saudi Arabia, and that, combined with the especially aggressive monetization in games like Monopoly GO, has left some Pokemon GO players feeling uneasy ever since rumors of the sale came to light last month.
The initial reports indicated that Niantic was looking to sell off its video game division. Not only would this include Pokemon GO, but it would also encompass all the other video games developed by the mobile games giant, minus the studio’s first game, Ingress. Now those reports have been confirmed, as Pokemon GO and Niantic’s other video games have been sold to Scopely.
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Pokemon GO, Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now, Campfire, Wayfarer, and the Niantic Games Team are all being sold to Scopely to the tune of $3.5 billion. With Pokemon GO far and away Niantic’s most popular game, fans of that title especially may be concerned about how this will impact its future. Pokemon GO lead Ed Wu has addressed Niantic’s sale of Pokemon GO, stating that he believes that it will ultimately be a “positive step” for the game’s future. Wu, who has been on the Pokemon GO team from the start and whose then-2-year-old daughter was the first person to ever throw a Poke Ball in the game, said Scopely has a “deep admiration” for the community and team. “Scopely fully believes in our mission and ongoing goal to create the best Pokemon GO experience possible.”
Scopely Has Purchased Pokemon GO and Niantic’s Other Games
Whenever a big acquisition like this goes through, one of the immediate concerns is that it will cause layoffs. Over the past few years, Niantic has laid off hundreds of people and canceled multiple projects. According to Wu, the Pokemon GO team will stay together after the Scopely acquisition goes through. “I have spoken to a number of game leaders at Scopely who have given me great confidence in how the company enables each game to independently develop and creatively thrive,” he said. Wu added that since Scopely is a private company, the team can now prioritize “what’s best” for the players, presumably as opposed to shareholders. Scopely’s monetization in games like the hugely lucrative Monopoly GO may still make fans weary that more aggressive monetization may be on the way for Pokemon GO, though, and that’s an understandable concern.
I won’t say that Pokemon GO will remain the same because it has always been a work in progress.
Wu ended his post by confirming that The Pokemon Company will remain involved with Pokemon GO after the Scopely acquisition, but that the game itself may experience changes. “I won’t say that Pokemon GO will remain the same,” Wu said, “because it has always been a work in progress.” Pokemon GO updates since the game’s launch in 2016 have added new features and vastly increased the roster of available Pokemon to catch, so it seems that will continue for years to come. For now, fans can expect Pokemon GO to stick with a business-as-usual approach, but eventually, one has to imagine that the impact of the Scopely acquisition will start to materialize one way or another.
- Released
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July 6, 2016
- ESRB
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