Image Credit: mimzy-19397@pixabay

Looks like Pokémon Go might be catching a new owner soon. Niantic, the studio behind the wildly successful mobile game, is reportedly in talks to sell its gaming division to Scopely Inc., a company owned by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group. And the rumored price tag? A whopping $3.5 billion. If this deal goes through, it would mark another major step in Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in the gaming world. Savvy Games Group, backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, has been aggressively expanding its portfolio. They already own Scopely (acquired for $4.9 billion in 2023) and have invested in big names like EA, Take-Two Interactive, and even Activision Blizzard. Saudi Arabia has been pushing hard to become a global gaming hub, part of its larger economic diversification strategy beyond oil. Buying Niantic’s gaming assets would fit right into that plan—but there’s more at play here than just acquiring another hit game.

While most people see Pokémon Go as just an AR game, Niantic has been quietly using it to collect massive amounts of geospatial data (location data that includes not just coordinates but also real-world context like buildings, landmarks, and terrain). And now, they’re building something called a Large Geospatial Model (LGM). What’s that? Think of it as a high-tech, AI-powered mapping system that goes beyond traditional maps. Unlike Google Maps, which mainly relies on satellite imagery and street-level cameras, Niantic’s LGM uses data from over 10 million scanned locations gathered by players. Every time someone scans a PokéStop or Gym, they contribute to this growing 3D model of the world. This isn’t just useful for AR games. LGM could have major implications for robotics, AI, and even autonomous systems. Imagine self-driving cars or delivery drones that can navigate environments with pedestrian-level precision, thanks to all those players walking around with their phones.

If Scopely (and by extension, Savvy Games Group) takes over Niantic’s gaming division, it could mean more than just a new publisher for Pokémon Go. They’d also gain access to one of the most detailed real-world mapping datasets on the planet. For Saudi Arabia, this kind of data could be a massive asset. It could help them build smart cities, enhance AI capabilities, and even strengthen their technological infrastructure. It also raises questions about privacy and data control—especially considering how much location data Niantic has gathered over the years. The rumored sale of Niantic’s gaming division isn’t just about selling a game; it’s about the future of spatial computing. Whether the deal goes through or not, one thing is clear: Pokémon Go was never just a game—it was a massive, real-world data collection project. And now, that data could be worth billions.

Sources: NianticLabs