Summary
After the $3.5 billion sale ofPokémon Goto Scopely,NianticSpatial has announced a round of layoffs.
Considering Pokémon Go was by far Niantic’s most successful product, it shouldn’t be a surprise the company no longer requires the same number of employees as it did when it was running Pokémon Go and its other games. Niantic Spatial is now looking to leverage its geospatial technology in new projects.
Niantic Spatial and Niantic are now two different entities. The gaming arm of Niantic (now under Scopely) isn’t undergoing layoffs.
Layoffs at Niantic
Nianticreleased a statementfrom chief executive officer John Hanke, who explains that Niantic is becoming Niantic Spatial Inc. after selling its gaming arm to Scopely. The company will now focus on “geospatial AI” and, as such, will need to operate as a “start-up organisation” to achieve its ambitions.
“We carefully evaluated the structure we believe is needed for the new company, and after a lot of consideration, it became clear that some roles would not be required given our new focus. This week, we are sharing this news with the individuals whose roles are impacted,” the statement reads.
“These decisions are never easy; they in no way reflect the individuals' performance, and we understand their impact on people’s lives. We deeply appreciate the talented individuals who helped us get here for their many contributions, and will support them as they transition to new opportunities,” the post concludes.
Thesale of Pokémon Go to Scopelyalso included Niantic’s other gaming ventures: Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now. The $3.5 billion sale included the development teams of these projects, who will continue to work on their respective games.
Concerning Pokémon Go, the team’s senior vice president Ed Wu released a statement saying development on the game would be “unchanged” and stresses that the goals of Scopely’s leadership are aligned with the goals of the existing Pokémon Go team.
Scopely is an American video game company owned by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group. The company owns Monopoly Go, Marvel Strike Force and now, Pokémon Go.
