In a surprising turn of events, the vast collection of Pokémon characters in Pokémon Go essentially belongs to Saudi Arabia’s king. Today, a significant $3.5 billion agreement split the Pokémon Go company into two distinct entities. One of these, Niantic Spatial, aims to advance core AI technologies with the help of a proprietary database containing 30 billion posed images. Leading this venture is John Hanke, armed with an impressive $250 million in initial funding, including a $50 million boost from Scopely. Scopely, now the proud owner of Pokémon Go, also oversees the development teams behind Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now.
In a warmly welcoming gesture, Scopely published a blog post to embrace the communities playing these games, making no mention of its parent company, Savvy Games Group. Notably, Savvy is entirely owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which acquired Scopely for $4.9 billion in 2023. This acquisition is just one among many in a portfolio that has included major players like Magic Leap.
Focusing on Niantic Spatial, the division is set to enhance its world mapping capabilities, providing users with a sophisticated visual positioning system that can significantly improve GPS or other localization technologies. These offerings are touted as laying down an “unparalleled foundation for geospatial AI,” which promises a richer, more nuanced understanding of the physical world.
Looking back, Magic Leap, a hardware manufacturer, faced skepticism when it accepted investment from Saudi Arabia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company struggled to secure new funding, resulting in layoffs. Meanwhile, as Palmer Luckey’s Anduril gears up to test its headset technology with the U.S. military amidst global trade tensions, the drive to innovate in AI is intensifying. It remains to be seen if Scopely can continue channeling player goodwill and keep Pokémon Go at the forefront, given the ever-evolving international climate.
Reflecting on their journey, Scopely’s co-CEOs Javier Ferreira and Walter Driver expressed their fortune in partnering with Savvy for such monumental deals. Since becoming an independently-operated entity under Savvy in 2023, they have aligned their goals, thanks in large part to the support Savvy provides for pursuing long-term ambitions and facilitating transactions of this scale.
