Summary
Shortly after reports indicated that Niantic was in talks to sell its video game business, it has now been confirmed that the mega-popularPokemon GOis being sold to Scopely. Scopely itself is owned by Saudi Arabia, and that, combined with the especially aggressive monetization in games likeMonopoly GO, has left somePokemon GOplayers feeling uneasy ever since rumors of the sale came to light last month.
The initial reports indicated thatNiantic was looking to sell off its video game division. Not only would this includePokemon 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, asPokemon GOand Niantic’s other video games have been sold to Scopely.
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. WithPokemon GOfar and away Niantic’s most popular game, fans of that title especially may be concerned about how this will impact its future.Pokemon GOlead Ed Wuhas addressed Niantic’s sale ofPokemon GO, stating that he believes that it will ultimately be a “positive step” for the game’s future. Wu, who has been on thePokemon GOteam from the start and whose then-2-year-old daughter was the first person to everthrow a Poke Ballin 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 bestPokemon GOexperience 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 peopleand canceled multiple projects. According to Wu, thePokemon GOteam 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 lucrativeMonopoly GOmay still make fans weary that more aggressive monetization may be on the way forPokemon GO, though, and that’s an understandable concern.
I won’t say thatPokemon GOwill 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 withPokemon GOafter the Scopely acquisition, but that the game itself may experience changes. “I won’t say thatPokemon GOwill remain the same,” Wu said, “because it has always been a work in progress.“Pokemon GOupdates since the game’s launch in 2016have 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 expectPokemon GOto 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.
