Pokémon Go developer Niantic is on the verge of selling its entire game catalog
-
Niantic is looking to sell its entire game catalog for $3.5 billion, potentially signaling a new direction.
-
The company's strategic focus on AR gaming has not been successful, with user interest primarily in the Pokémon brand.
-
Talks are ongoing with Scopely for the sale, but concerns arise due to Scopely's track record of pricey in-app purchases in its titles.
It's never felt like Niantic was all that dedicated to developing Pokémon Go. The game started very rough, and development moved at a snail's pace . Eventually, the game reached a stable state most players were happy with, but Niantic seemed intent on continually ruining a good thing, from yearly events that resulted in returned funds and lawsuits to a continual battle with fans over greedy monetization, thanks to looser rules enacted during COVID that proved very challenging for the company to claw back.
But claw back it did , angering its users for the umpteenth time, and so today's report ( per Bloomberg ) that Niantic is looking to sell its entire game catalog, with talks ongoing with Scopely for $3.5 billion, might actually be good news in the larger scheme of things.
Pokémon Go could flourish in new hands
Or things could go sideways and get worse
This is the fun of big game industry buyouts. You never really know if the new owner will respect the property or simply cash in. Now, when it comes to Niantic, it has always felt like the company was cashing in, from day one when the game was released filled with bugs to today, where the avatars all look worse for some reason, with paywalls that reign supreme. Pokémon Go has had a checkered journey, and Niantic hasn't been the best herald of creature collecting (sadly, a trend for the Pokémon franchise, as Game Freak isn't held in high regard either). Clearly, there is room for something better, which is why Niantic's talks with Scopely to sell its entire game catalog for $3.5bn isn't very shocking.
You see, Niantic was always building toward a platform it could sell through its Lightship SDK , with the thinking other companies would like to create AR games similar to Pokémon Go. Problem being, Niantic spent years creating clones of Pokémon Go with different brands as skins, from Transformers (which never saw the light of day ), to Harry Potter to Catan. It turns out nobody was interested in these clones, almost as if it's the Pokémon brand that carries Pokémon Go and little else.
Niantic selling off its game catalog makes sense
This is why it comes as no surprise to learn Niantic is interested in selling off its entire game catalog, including Pokémon Go. Its SDK appears to be a flop, AR is still a novelty that has yet to break into the mainstream, and after a decade of trying, Niantic still can't manage to recapture the magic of Pokémon Go's success .
Of course, there is the worry the new owner will only make things worse, cashing in even more than Niantic, and that's a legit worry, especially when Niantic is currently in talks with Scopely, the Saudi Arabia publisher of Monopoly Go!, a game that offers in-app purchases that range up to $199.99 per item, which is why it's one of the top grossing "board games" on the Play Store. In other words, Scopley publishes gambling-infested trash, which would likely be bad news for Pokémon Go as well as every other Niantic property.
Both Niantic and Scopely appear to be keeping their lips shut tight when it comes to the potential sale of Niantic, so there is no telling how current talks will shake out. At the very least, we now know Niantic is looking to cash out by selling off its gaming catalog. Perhaps a signal that AR isn't all it's cracked up to be when the leader in AR gaming is looking to sell off its entire catalog.
ADVENTURE
Price: Free
3.9
