The gaming world can be a complicated place, especially when you consider all the legalities or business-related stuff that gamers themselves don’t really have time or desire to understand, and yet, without them, the industry would be even more chaotic than it already is. For example, let’s talk about Pokemon GO, which has been an incredibly successful mobile title since 2016. The game literally brings in hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars every single year. Part of that is because the team has worked hard to expand the game, bring in more Pokemon, add new features that fans want, and more. They’ve done incredibly well with this title, and no one can deny it.
However, if you were to ask who OWNS Niantic, you might think that it’s either Nintendo or The Pokemon Company. Except, that’s not true on either front. They were a team that The Pokemon Company hired to make the game, and Nintendo actually doesn’t get much from the deal, as the franchise is truly owned by its parent company. As such, Niantic can go and do what it wants, including making other games in other franchises, which it has done since its smash-hit title was released in 2016.
The problem right now comes from a new report from Bloomberg, which states that Niantic is apparently entertaining a deal to be bought by Scopely Inc. That wouldn’t mean much to most people, except, that this business is owned by Saudi Arabia.
If you’re already getting “red flags,” you’re not alone. Without diving into the politics of our world, we will say that Saudi Arabia has been trying to “revitalize its image” by expanding into various businesses and industries to make it clear to the world that they’re not “simply an oil country.” That includes investing in various video game businesses over the years.
So, if they were to suddenly be the owners of the team behind Pokemon GO? That would be quite a dynamic shift in their “visual aesthetic.” The report states that Niantic would specifically be selling its gaming unit, which would be sold for a whopping $3.5 billion dollars! That’s a lot of money.
To be clear, the deal HAS NOT GONE THROUGH YET, but many feel it will go through eventually, especially due to previous deals between Niantic and Scopely’s parent company, as they have worked together in the past.
If it does happen, the biggest hope is that this will not affect the quality of the mobile title.
