Summary
Pokemon Gotook the world by storm when it launched in 2016. Forcing gamers to go outside in order to catch Pokemon was a brilliant, albeit funny move. Over time, the game took over entire cities, causing traffic and chaos wherever a coveted Pokemon was spotted.Niantichas been enjoying the success since.
However, it seems things are about to change, as Niantic is reportedly in talks to sell Pokemon Go, along with its entire games unit. This comes via aBloomberg(viaYahoo Finance) report which claims that the entire segment may be sold to a Saudi Arabia-owned company called Scopely Inc. Reportedly, the deal will be announced in the next few weeks, and will be priced at around $3.5 billion according to sources.
Pokemon Go May Be Sold By Niantic
While Pokemon Go was a massive success, Niantic’s following games never quite took off in the same manner. In June 2023, the companylaid off 230 employees and cancelled two gameswhich were reportedly based on Marvel and the NBA. Eventually, even its Harry Potter: Wizards Unite game was shut down.
The very next month, reports started surfacing about the company’s toxic work culture, where a"toxic boys club" mentalitywas being embraced. These allegations were brought to light by a lawsuit by one of the workers, on behalf of other women at Niantic. The report even said that Niantic’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Director and Principal People Partner threatened her job at Niantic.
The lawsuit later revealed that the management issued a “directive to silence womenwho speak out about sexual bias”, leading to more discrimination based on gender. It even elucidated the pay gap between men and women at Niantic.
Most recently, Pokemon Go announced that thePokedex will be getting a visual overhaulduring the Road to Unova event coming February 24. While no details have been revealed, Niantic has said that the Pokedex will be getting a “comprehensive” visual update which will be ready in time for the event.
