Niantic Inc. is closing in on a deal to sell its games division, which includes Pokemon Go, to Saudia Arabia-backed Scopely Inc. for $3.5 billion. This, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
Bloomberg says a deal on the sale could be announced “in coming weeks”, and would include Niantic’s video game business and gaming properties. In addition to Pokemon Go, Niantic games also include Ingress, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now, among others.
Despite talks being close, the report states that there’s “no assurance an agreement will be reached.”
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Founded in 2011, Scopely was acquired by Savvy Games Group in 2023 for $4.9 billion. Savvy Games Group is a gaming subsidiary funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
In August 2024, Niantic and Savvy Games Group signed a deal for Niantic to help with planned expansion into Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and United Arab Emirates.
“Our collaboration with Niantic marks a significant milestone in our efforts to bring cutting-edge games and esports experiences to the MENA-3 region,” Savvy Games Group CEO Brian Ward said, at the time, via PocketGamer.
Neither Scopely nor Niantic would comment on the potential sale when contacted by Bloomberg.
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Savvy said they’d acquire a big console publisher back in 2022 they need to finally make those moves already. Maybe this leads to them strengthening their partnership with Nintendo again. Savvy should have bought Capcom and Valve already.
This does nothing and costs way too much why not buy Capcom?