Niantic, Creator of ‘Pokémon Go,’ to Reportedly Sell Gaming Division and Refocus on AR and Mapping Technologies

Niantic, the creators behind the sensation Pokémon Go in 2016, is apparently engaged in discussions with Scopely, a company under the ownership of Saudi Arabia, about selling its gaming segment.

A Bloomberg report, drawing on insights from individuals familiar with the negotiations, suggests that the deal is being discussed at a potential $3.5 billion price tag, with the possibility of concluding in the upcoming weeks.

This transaction would encompass not only Pokémon Go but also Niantic’s other mobile titles, like Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom.

Niantic also made waves with Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, which aimed to mirror Pokémon Go’s runaway success. Unfortunately, it didn’t hit the mark and ultimately led to its closure in 2022.

If the sale moves forward, Niantic, headquartered in San Francisco, would likely pivot towards expanding its suite of augmented reality (AR) platforms and geo-spatial mapping technology.

Back in May 2022, Niantic introduced the Lightship Visual Positioning System, a tool that constructs a 3D map of the world to ensure AR devices have a consistent reference point, even on a grand scale.

Later that year, Niantic revealed its collaboration with Qualcomm on an AR headset prototype, built on the Snapdragon AR2 platform, dubbing it an “outdoor AR headset.”

Although Niantic hasn’t ventured into producing hardware, last September they partnered with Snap to integrate their AR pet simulator, Peridot, into Snap’s latest Spectacles.

Subsequently, they launched Into The Scaniverse, a WebXR app with VPS integration, developed via Niantic Studio. This app enables users to capture and display real-world locations in three dimensions on Meta Quest.

Should Niantic offload its gaming assets, it seems poised to dive deeper into the AR space, capitalizing on its VPS, Niantic Studio, and the Niantic Spatial Platform SDK.