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Scopely acquired Pokémon Go developers in a massive buyout

Scopely will acquire Pokémon Go developers ‘Niantic’ in one of the largest video game acquisition deals. Check out the details and the way forward for the company

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Scopely to acquire Niantic along with games and dev team Photograph: (Niantic)

The developers behind the popular mobile game Pokemon Go, ‘Niantic’, are being acquired by Scopely in a massive $3.5 billion deal. Along with the development team, Scopely will also acquire its creations “Pokémon GO,” “Pikmin Bloom,” and “Monster Hunter Now. This announcement was made through an official blog post on March 12.

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"Scopely announced today it has signed an agreement to acquire Niantic’s games business. The deal, valued at $3.5 billion, will bring Niantic’s entire team of exceptional gamemakers and category-leading games “Pokémon GO,” “Pikmin Bloom,” and “Monster Hunter Now” to Scopely’s portfolio, among other apps and live experiences,” the announcement wrote.

Chief Revenue Officer of Scopely praises Niantic’s portfolio

Pokémon GO was a massive success, reaching over 100 million users and Scopely is also aware of the fact. Backed by Savvy Games Group, Scopely’s $3.5 billion acquisition deal is now among the top 10 largest video game mergers and acquisitions. The deal matches the $3.5 billion Bungie acquisition by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

“Few games in the world have delivered the scale and longevity of ‘Pokémon GO’, which reached over 100 million players just last year. The experience also stands apart for its unique ability to foster in-person connections, with Pokémon GO live events attracting millions of attendees,” CRO for Scopely, Tim O’Brien wrote.

Also Read: Pokémon TV is making an official return with classic anime and more

Development team behind Pokémon GO to remain the same

Often, large acquisitions like these result in teams splitting across different groups. Many times, new leads take over the old project, with the original creators either leaving the studio or working on new games. This won’t be the case for Niantic as Scopely promises the studio will still be led by Kei Kawai and Ed Wu The roadmap will remain the same, with no games being affected in any way by this acquisition. Although people are eager to see the move forward.

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