11:19 - 13.03.2025

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March 13, Fineko/abc.az. Saudi company Scopely Inc. has reached an agreement with Niantic Inc. (U.S.) on purchase of its video game development business, which, among other things, released popular mobile game Pokemon Go .

According to a press release from the companies, the deal will amount to $3.5 billion. Scopely, owned by a division of the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF), will also receive the rights to the games Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now.

Pokemon Go allows users to navigate through the real world using augmented reality to find and capture virtual creatures on their smartphone screen.

Despite the fact that Pokemon Go was released almost a decade ago, it is still one of the most profitable mobile games in the world, attracting 30 million monthly active players.

The deal is another step by Saudi Arabia in developing its gaming industry, in which the country has already invested billions of dollars in recent years.

All assets of Niantic Inc. will now become part of Scopely Inc, which was acquired by PIF's subsidiary, Savvy Games Group, for $4.9 billion in 2023.

Scopely is one of the largest players in the mobile gaming market. Its biggest hit, Monopoly Go, has been downloaded more than 50 million times, and revenue has exceeded $3 billion.

The rights to Pokemon brand itself are owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, who licensed it to Niantic to develop the game.