Niantic, the company that turned Pokémon Go into a global phenomenon, just sold its entire game division to Saudi-owned Scopely for $3.5 billion. The timing of this sale is no coincidence. This deal is about far more than mobile gaming. It’s about data—specifically, the most detailed geospatial map of the United States ever created.
For years, Niantic quietly harvested geolocation data from millions of Pokémon Go players. Every scan, every route taken, every augmented reality interaction fed into an unprecedented mapping effort. The result? A pedestrian-level 3D model of real-world locations, more detailed than anything Google Maps or Apple Maps has produced. That data is now in the hands of a Saudi-controlled entity.
Scopely, now owned by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group, has been aggressively expanding its gaming footprint. The acquisition of Niantic’s gaming division, including Pokémon Go, Monster Hunter Now, and Pikmin Bloom, strengthens its position. But this isn’t just about growing a game portfolio. Saudi Arabia’s broader strategy is to dominate key technology sectors, and control over advanced geospatial data is a powerful tool.
Niantic’s struggles over the past few years made it an easy target. After the runaway success of Pokémon Go, the company failed to replicate its magic with other titles. Layoffs followed in 2022 and 2023. With the sale, Niantic is pivoting away from gaming entirely, spinning off a new company, Niantic Spatial, to focus solely on geospatial AI. The message is clear: the real value was never in the games—it was in the data they collected.
This shift raises significant privacy concerns. Players voluntarily submitted scans, thinking they were enhancing their gaming experience. Instead, they contributed to a mapping effort whose ultimate owner is now a foreign entity. The implications extend beyond gaming. Whoever controls this data controls insights into foot traffic patterns, infrastructure vulnerabilities, and urban layouts across the U.S.
Scopely, for its part, insists that this acquisition will enhance community-driven and social gaming experiences. But the real story isn’t in the press releases. It’s in the quiet transfer of a trove of sensitive geospatial data to a new owner with different priorities. This is about more than mobile gaming—it’s about the intersection of technology, national security, and the future of digital mapping.
Sources:
https://www.techspot.com/news/107118-pokmon-go-developer-niantic-sell-gaming-division-saudi.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2024/11/23/niantic-pokemon-go-data-ai-map/76488340007/