Today we’re announcing changes at Niantic that will set us on a bold new course.
Nearly a decade ago, we spun out as a small team from Google with a bold vision: to use technology to overlay the world with rich digital experiences. Our goal: to inspire people to explore their surroundings and foster real-world connections, especially at a time when relationships were becoming increasingly digital.
To bring this mission and technology to life, we started building games; today, more than 100 million people play our games annually, with more than a billion friend connections made across the world.
People have discovered their neighborhoods, explored new places, and moved more than 30 billion miles. They’ve also come together at our live events – where everyone is a participant, not just a spectator – contributing over a billion dollars in economic impact in the cities that host them.
As we grew, the company naturally evolved along two complementary paths – one focused on creating games and bringing them to the world, and the other dedicated to advancing augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and geospatial technology.
Meanwhile, the rapid progress in AI reinforces our belief in the future of geospatial computing to unlock new possibilities for both consumer experiences and enterprise applications. At the same time, we remain committed to creating “forever games” that will last for generations.
To achieve these goals, we are making two major announcements today:
First, for Niantic Inc., we have reached an agreement for Scopely, a world leader in mobile games, to acquire Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now, and the incredible teams working on these experiences, for $3.5 billion from Scopely with an additional $350 million of cash from Niantic being distributed as part of the deal, yielding a total value of approximately $3.85 billion for Niantic equity holders.
Scopely’s focus on building and operating incredible live services, its exceptional experience working with the world’s biggest and most beloved intellectual property, and care for its player communities and game-making teams make it the perfect fit for our games. Our game team has exciting long-term roadmaps that they will continue to build upon as part of Scopely. This partnership ensures that our games have the long term support needed to be “forever games” that will endure for future generations. Players can expect that the games, apps, services, and events they know and love will continue to receive Scopely’s ongoing investment, driven by the same teams that have always created these experiences.
Read more about the transaction on the Scopely blog: Scopely to acquire Niantic games business; along with a message from Scopely co-CEOs and a message from Ed Wu, the head of Pokémon GO.
Second, we are spinning off our pioneering geospatial AI business into a new company, Niantic Spatial Inc., enabling it to accelerate and scale even more rapidly. Led by John Hanke, Niantic Spatial will be funded with $250 million of capital, including $200 million from Niantic’s balance sheet and a $50 million investment from Scopely. All of Niantic’s original investors will also continue to be shareholders of Niantic Spatial. Read more from John here.
Niantic Spatial’s goal is to lead the future of geospatial AI by building spatial intelligence that helps people better understand, navigate, and engage with the physical world.
Niantic Spatial is powered by a third-generation digital map that captures the content of the world at a level of fidelity never before achieved and enables both humans and machines to understand it in ways never before possible. This is part of the connective tissue that will enable AI to meaningfully understand and interact with the physical world.
Niantic Spatial Platform
Last year, we introduced the Niantic Spatial Platform – a milestone in our geospatial AI efforts. This comprehensive suite integrates spatial computing, Extended Reality, Geographic Information Systems, and Artificial Intelligence to create immersive experiences that seamlessly blend the digital and physical worlds with centimeter-level precision. Designed for diverse industry applications, it enhances manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, construction, tourism, entertainment, and education by enabling precise tracking, AR-guided navigation, and real-time 3D spatial visualization.
Our Visual Positioning System (VPS) and computer vision stack already power gaming experiences for millions in Pokémon GO, Ingress, and Peridot. Scaniverse, which uses breakthrough Gaussian splatting technology for more vibrant, accurate, and faster-rendering 3D models, serves hundreds of thousands of users monthly. Through real-world deployment, Niantic Spatial Platform has evolved from a consumer technology into an enterprise-grade solution, delivering high-fidelity scans, precise positioning, and AR visualizations with centimeter-level accuracy. To learn more, contact a Niantic Spatial Platform expert.
Niantic Spatial is developing a Large Geospatial Model – a world model powered by large-scale machine learning that enables people and machines to understand and navigate the physical world. This model enhances spatial reasoning in Large Language Models (LLMs) by providing a spatially grounded and semantically rich understanding of real-world locations. Built on a proprietary database of over 30 billion posed images, it delivers an unparalleled foundation for geospatial AI, enabling a deeper contextual understanding of the real world.
Niantic Spatial will continue to own and operate our other real-world AR games, Ingress Prime and Peridot, as best-in-class applications of the geospatial platform.
We’re looking forward to sharing more updates over the coming months as our games and platform businesses embark on their new futures.
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The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and completion of regulatory review. The deal is expected to close in 2025. The transaction has been approved by the Board of Directors of both Niantic and Scopely.
Advisors
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is serving as the exclusive financial advisor to Niantic and Fenwick & West LLP is serving as legal counsel. J.P. Morgan is acting as financial advisor to Scopely and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as legal counsel.