Pokémon Go has changed hands in a massive $3.85 billion deal just months after its developer, Niantic, disclosed that the game’s augmented reality feature helped feed a massive artificial intelligence mapping system. The game, along with others in Niantic’s catalog, is now under the control of Scopely.
Players who used the AR features in Pokémon Go were unknowingly assisting in the development of what Niantic called a large-scale geospatial model. The app prompted users to scan real-life surroundings, submitting detailed image sets that were used to train a neural network system operating in more than 1 million locations.
Pokemon Go used user cameras to develop an AI Geospacial Model. Can't have any fun without these companies using our data! pic.twitter.com/RoGU2wzsH0
— Bryan S3 (@BrianSoto683799) November 23, 2024
Niantic claimed the scans were optional and limited to publicly accessible areas, but admitted it was processing around 1 million new submissions each week. The system, it said, was designed to handle terrain changes, architectural variations and other factors that are difficult to capture with automated cameras.
Niantic's primary goal is corporate, not gameplay. The location and mapping data used to feed their geospacial machine learning model is far more valuable to them than player satisfaction.
That's why they've made countless choices against what players wanted or needed.— David Phoenix (@DavidRMPhoenix1) December 11, 2024
The company’s shift away from gaming began soon after the public learned how Pokémon Go data had been used. Niantic then launched a new company called Niantic Spatial, which will focus entirely on geospatial AI. This spinoff retains the Ingress and Peridot games and is backed by $250 million, including $50 million from Scopely.
It's official.
Niantic is selling its gaming business to Scopely, within Savvy Games, for a total value upwards of $3.85B.
Pokémon Go, MH Now, Pikmin Bloom.
Big shake-up, consolidation in the space.
Niantic is also spinning out its geospacial AI business into Niantic Spatial. https://t.co/ADkn9ZT6pN pic.twitter.com/4y7vYL0Yqe
— Dom (@DomsPlaying) March 12, 2025
Scopely is owned by Savvy Games Group, a Saudi firm that acquired it for $4.9 billion in 2023. The company’s other mobile games are known for aggressive in-app purchase strategies. Some fans of Pokémon Go have expressed concern that similar tactics may be introduced under the new leadership.
Included in the sale are the full development teams responsible for Pokémon Go, Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom. Niantic described the move as a way to prioritize long-term growth rather than short-term profits.
Scopely praised Niantic’s ability to build global gaming communities but has not shared how it will handle monetization moving forward. Details about the involvement of Nintendo or The Pokémon Company were not disclosed by either party.
