Niantic, the developer behind the wildly popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go, is reportedly negotiating a potential $3.5 billion sale of its video game division to Scopely, a Saudi-owned gaming company. Bloomberg first reported the news, citing an anonymous source who indicated that while the deal isn't finalized, a confirmation could arrive within weeks. Niantic, Scopely, and its parent company, Savvy Games Group, have declined to comment publicly.
The sale would likely encompass Pokémon Go, the groundbreaking mobile game that propelled augmented reality gaming into the mainstream. This acquisition follows Savvy Games Group's April 2023 purchase of Scopely for $4.9 billion, a deal announced after the Saudi Arabian government expressed its intention to acquire a leading games publisher. Scopely's portfolio boasts a number of successful mobile titles, including The Walking Dead: Road to Survival, Stumble Guys, Marvel Strike Force, and Monopoly Go.
Savvy Games Group further solidified its position in the gaming industry with the 2022 acquisition of ESL and FACEIT, two prominent esports companies, for a combined $1.5 billion. This aggressive expansion aligns with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz's vision, articulated in 2022, to establish Saudi Arabia as a global leader in the gaming and esports sector by 2030. The Crown Prince emphasized the strategy's role in economic diversification, technological innovation, and the expansion of entertainment and esports offerings within the Kingdom.
