Summary
- Niantic has announced a round of layoffs after the sale of Pokémon Go for $3.5 billion.
- The gaming arm of Niantic was sold wholly to Scopely, including the respective development teams of Niantic’s former games.
- Scopely and the Pokémon Go team are aligned on a vision according to the a representative of the latter.
After the $3.5 billion sale of Pokémon Go to Scopely, Niantic has announced a round of layoffs.
Considering Pokémon Go was by far Niantic’s most successful product, it shouldn’t be a surprise the studio no longer requires the same number of developers as it did when it was running Pokémon Go and its other games. The company is now looking to leverage its geospatial technology in new projects.
Layoffs at Niantic
Niantic released a statement from chief executive officer John Hanke, who explains that Niantic is becoming Niantic Spatial Inc. after selling its gaming arm to Scopely. The company will now focus on “geospatial AI” and, as such, will need to operate as a “start-up organisation” to achieve its ambitions.
“We carefully evaluated the structure we believe is needed for the new company, and after a lot of consideration, it became clear that some roles would not be required given our new focus. This week, we are sharing this news with the individuals whose roles are impacted,” the statement reads.
“These decisions are never easy; they in no way reflect the individuals’ performance, and we understand their impact on people’s lives. We deeply appreciate the talented individuals who helped us get here for their many contributions, and will support them as they transition to new opportunities,” the post concludes.
The sale of Pokémon Go to Scopely also included Niantic’s other gaming ventures: Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now. The $3.5 billion sale included the development teams of these projects, who will continue to work on their respective games.
Concerning Pokémon Go, the team’s senior vice president Ed Wu released a statement saying development on the game would be “unchanged” and stresses that the goals of Scopely’s leadership are aligned with the goals of the existing Pokémon Go team.
Scopely is an American video game company owned by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group. The company owns Monopoly Go, Marvel Strike Force and now, Pokémon Go.
- Released
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July 6, 2016
- ESRB
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