On March 12, 2025, Niantic announced a major transformation aimed at redefining its future. With a legacy of integrating digital experiences into the real world, Niantic is now setting a new course to strengthen its gaming division and advance geospatial artificial intelligence (AI).
A Decade of Innovation and Growth
Originally spun out from Google nearly ten years ago, Niantic had a clear vision: leveraging technology to enrich the physical world with digital interactions. The company’s mission has always been to encourage exploration and real-world connections at a time when digital relationships were becoming dominant.
Since then, Niantic has built a vast gaming ecosystem, with over 100 million players engaging in its games annually and forming over a billion friendships worldwide. Players have collectively traversed over 30 billion miles, discovered new places, and contributed to over a billion dollars in economic impact through live events.
Over time, Niantic evolved along two complementary paths—one focused on creating immersive games and the other on pioneering augmented reality (AR), AI, and geospatial technology. The rapid advancements in AI have reinforced Niantic’s commitment to geospatial computing, unlocking new possibilities for consumer and enterprise applications. At the same time, the company remains dedicated to developing “forever games” that will endure for generations.
Major Announcements: Game Division Acquisition & Niantic Spatial Inc.
To drive this next phase of growth, Niantic has announced two significant developments:
1. Scopely Acquires Niantic’s Gaming Division
Niantic has reached an agreement with Scopely, a global leader in mobile gaming, to acquire Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now, and their development teams. The deal, valued at approximately $3.85 billion, includes $3.5 billion from Scopely and an additional $350 million in cash from Niantic.
Scopely’s extensive experience in live gaming services, intellectual property management, and player community engagement makes it an ideal partner to ensure the longevity of Niantic’s popular titles. With this acquisition, players can expect continued investment and development in their favorite games under Scopely’s stewardship, with the original teams maintaining their involvement.
More details on the transaction can be found on the Scopely blog, including messages from Scopely’s co-CEOs and Ed Wu, the head of Pokémon GO.
2. The Launch of Niantic Spatial Inc.
Niantic is also spinning off its geospatial AI division into a separate entity—Niantic Spatial Inc. Led by John Hanke, this new company will receive $250 million in funding, including $200 million from Niantic and a $50 million investment from Scopely. Niantic’s original investors will continue as shareholders of Niantic Spatial.
Niantic Spatial aims to be at the forefront of geospatial AI, developing advanced spatial intelligence to help people better understand, navigate, and interact with the physical world.
Advancing the Future of Geospatial AI
Niantic Spatial is powered by a cutting-edge third-generation digital map that enables both humans and AI to interpret the real world with unprecedented accuracy. This foundational technology is a key component in AI’s ability to meaningfully engage with the physical environment.
The Niantic Spatial Platform
Last year, Niantic introduced the Niantic Spatial Platform, a milestone in geospatial AI. This platform integrates spatial computing, Extended Reality (XR), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and AI to create highly immersive digital experiences that blend seamlessly with the real world.
With applications across industries—including manufacturing, logistics, construction, tourism, entertainment, and education—the platform enables precise tracking, AR-assisted navigation, and real-time 3D spatial visualization.
Niantic’s Visual Positioning System (VPS) and computer vision technology are already integral to gaming experiences in Pokémon GO, Ingress, and Peridot. Meanwhile, Scaniverse, which utilizes Gaussian splatting technology, delivers more accurate and vibrant 3D models, serving hundreds of thousands of users monthly. Over time, Niantic Spatial Platform has evolved into an enterprise-grade solution offering high-fidelity scans, precise positioning, and AR-powered visualizations with centimeter-level accuracy.
To further enhance AI-driven geospatial intelligence, Niantic Spatial is developing a Large Geospatial Model—an advanced world model powered by large-scale machine learning. This model enables both people and AI to navigate and understand real-world environments, enhancing the spatial reasoning capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs). Built on a proprietary database of over 30 billion posed images, this technology provides an unparalleled foundation for geospatial AI applications.
Niantic Spatial will continue operating real-world AR games such as Ingress Prime and Peridot, serving as benchmarks for its geospatial AI advancements.
Looking Ahead
Niantic is embarking on an exciting new journey with these transformative moves. While its gaming division finds a new home with Scopely, the company remains deeply committed to the future of geospatial AI with Niantic Spatial. Over the coming months, both businesses will share more updates as they expand their horizons and pioneer the next era of digital-physical integration.
Final Notes The transaction is subject to customary regulatory reviews and closing conditions, with an expected completion date in 2025. The deal has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both Niantic and Scopely.
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as the exclusive financial advisor to Niantic, with Fenwick & West LLP providing legal counsel. J.P. Morgan acted as the financial advisor to Scopely, with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP serving as legal counsel.
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