The American company Niantic has still not managed to repeat the success of its mobile game with elements of augmented reality Pokemon Go and, according to Bloomberg, it does not intend to try again.
Image source: Niantic
According to several Bloomberg sources, Niantic is in talks to sell its gaming business to Scopely (Monopoly Go), which has been owned by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group since 2023.
According to one source familiar with the talks, the deal could be worth $3.5 billion. The agreement would include Pokemon Go and other Niantic mobile games.
Bloomberg adds that the deal between Niantic and Scopely could be announced in the coming weeks, but at the same time there is no certainty that the parties will reach an agreement.
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Pokemon Go was released in July 2016 on iOS and Android, becoming a global hit and the most successful (in terms of downloads and revenue) augmented reality game in history.
Niantic’s subsequent projects did not achieve such popularity – Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, released in 2019, for example, was closed in 2022, and NBA All-World was closed just a few months after its release.
In mid-2023, Niantic laid off 230 people (in addition to 85-90 employees in mid-2022), closed its Los Angeles division and the in-development Marvel World of Heroes.