- Pokémon Go developer Niantic has been acquired by Monopoly Go developer scopely
- This was done to the tune of an eye-watering $3.5 billion
- The acquisition means that Niantic’s highly successful catalogue will join Scopely’s own releases
It’s a Red Letter day for Pokémon Go, not because of anything happening in-game, but rather outside of it. That’s because Niantic, the folks who developed Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now and Peridot have been acquired by Scopely. Yes, the same Scopely behind the hit Monopoly Go! Now, most of Niantic’s catalogue rests in the possession of Scopely and their parent company Savvy Games Group.
This was all done to the tune of a whopping $3.5 billion as part of this acquisition, which will also see Niantic’s own AR tech arm separate from the branded games as a standalone company called Niantic Spatial – which will also retain Ingress Prime and Peridot. For fans, it seems as if there’ll be minimal disruption to service, but for those with even a passing interest in the wider industry, this is a major sea change.
Go-ing further
Over on our sister site PocketGamer.biz you can dig into all the nitty-gritty business details. But suffice it to say this is a major change for both companies, and one that could have a huge knock-on effect for fans; hopefully in a mainly positive way.
Considering that both Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now have proven to be increasingly lucrative releases for Niantic, although Pokémon Go still leads the charge, they’re unlikely to face any disruption. But as for what this means for the wider mobile gaming landscape? Well, you’ll have to stay tuned, because this could be a major turning point.
With the upcoming Pokémon Go fest in Europe now set to arrive in Paris, it’s certainly already been shaping up to be a big year for this hit AR creature catcher. So if you’re looking to jump in and reacquaint yourself with these iconic pocket monsters, be sure to check out our list of Pokémon Go promo codes to get a boost.
