Mobile gaming giant Scopely buys Niantic's gaming division for $3.5 billion

A few weeks ago we heard about a possible sale of Pokémon Go by Niantic to Scopely Inc, a mobile gaming giant based in California but owned by Savvy Games Group (the video games division of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund), which had put a $3.5 billion offer on the table for the company, and it looks like the owners have picked up the cheque.

As Deadline reports, Niantic's games division is now part of Scopely Inc, including its most profitable and well-known IPs such as Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now. That means these three games join Scopely's already successful portfolio of IPs, which includes the money monster Monopoly Go, arguably the most profitable mobile game in history.

"Scopely has always been focused on cultivating meaningful communities through a shared love of play, and the Niantic games organization is one of the best in the world at this endeavor. We are extremely inspired by what the team has built over the last decade, delivering innovative experiences that captivate a vast, enduring global audience and get people out in the real world. We look forward to furthe accelerating the team's creativity through our partnership," said Tim O'Brien, Chief Revenue Officer and board member of Scopely.