'Pokémon Go' Finds A New Home At Culver City Company In $3.5B Deal

CULVER CITY, CA — Culver City-based mobile game developer Scopely will become the new owner of "Pokémon Go" when it acquires the games portfolio of developer Niantic in a $3.5 billion deal announced Wednesday.

San Francisco-based Niantic's gaming division has more than 30 million monthly active users and generated $1 billion in revenue in 2024 with its flagship title "Pokémon Go," along with other popular games like "Pikmin Bloom" and "Monster Hunter Now."

"Pokémon Go" — the augmented reality game in which players catch and battle digital creatures visible in real-life locations through their smartphone camera lenses — drew more than 100 million unique players last year and maintains a steady 20 million weekly active users. It comes almost a decade after its hugely popular debut, according to the companies.

"Pokémon Go" has consistently ranked among the top 10 mobile games each year since its release.

"Few games in the world have delivered the scale and longevity of `Pokémon GO,"' Tim O'Brien, chief revenue officer of Scopely, said in a statement. "The experience also stands apart for its unique ability to foster in-person connections, with 'Pokémon Go' live events attracting millions of attendees."

The Niantic games will join Scopely's current lineup of mobile titles, including "Scrabble Go," "WWE Champions" and "Monopoly Go!"

Niantic will retain its technology and transition it into a new company, Niantic Spatial Inc., which will focus on developing artificial intelligence to help machines interact with the real world, according to a statement.

City News Service contributed to this report.