In a notable development for the mobile gaming industry, Scopely officially closed its acquisition of Niantic's games business on May 29, 2025, in a deal valued at $3.5 billion. This acquisition brought popular titles such as "Pokémon GO," "Pikmin Bloom," and "Monster Hunter Now," along with community apps "Campfire" and "Wayfarer," into Scopely's portfolio. Scopely, a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian Savvy Games Group, has affirmed its commitment to supporting the acquired game teams and their development roadmaps, stating there will be no workforce reductions within Niantic's gaming segment.
Concurrently, Niantic has restructured, spinning off its technology platform into a new entity called Niantic Spatial Inc.. This new company retains ownership and operation of Niantic's original AR game "Ingress" and the pet simulation game "Peridot," focusing instead on geospatial AI and 3D mapping. Niantic Spatial, however, has seen layoffs, with 68 employees affected in April and a "small number" more later, attributed to the reorganisation required for its new focus as a startup.
Community reactions, particularly among "Ingress" players, have been varied. While many expressed relief that "Ingress" remained with Niantic Spatial rather than transferring to Scopely, concerns have been raised regarding the game's future funding and longevity without the direct revenue support from titles like "Pokémon GO". There are also questions about how "Wayfarer" moving to Scopely will impact the process of adding new in-game locations for "Ingress".
Separately, Niantic has been involved in a sexual bias lawsuit. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge blocked Niantic's efforts to move the class action lawsuit into arbitration, allowing former female employees to proceed with their claims of systematic sexism, unequal pay, and a "boys' club" environment within the company.
