Scopely, the mobile gaming company backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, has announced its acquisition of Niantic’s gaming operations for $3.5 billion (approximately Rs. 30,465 crore). This deal includes the hugely popular mobile game Pokemon Go, as well as other titles like Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now.
As per a statement released by Scopely on Wednesday, which aligns with earlier reports from Bloomberg News, the acquisition will also bring in Niantic’s development teams responsible for these games. Scopely is a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia.
Niantic was originally established as a spin-off from Alphabet’s Google in 2015. The company’s founder, John Hanke, has a background in satellite mapping and previously led Google’s Geo product division. According to Scopely, the Niantic gaming division generated over $1 billion (around Rs. 8,702 crore) in revenue last year, supported by a user base of 30 million active monthly players.
In 2021, Savvy Games Group, another entity under Saudi Arabia’s PIF, acquired Scopely for $4.9 billion. This investment is part of a broader initiative that has allocated $38 billion (about Rs. 3,30,701 crore) to develop Saudi Arabia into a leading hub for video game development.
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