Niantic split in two in 2025. Scopely bought Niantic’s games business, including Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now, for $3.5 billion. The rest of the company became Niantic Spatial, which builds 3D maps and positioning tools for robots, headsets and businesses. In July 2026, Scopely renamed the games team Scopely Explore.
Here is who runs each Niantic product in October 2026.
| Product | Who runs it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon GO | Scopely (Scopely Explore team) | Sold in 2025 |
| Pikmin Bloom | Scopely (Scopely Explore team) | Sold in 2025 |
| Monster Hunter Now | Scopely (Scopely Explore team) | Sold in 2025; made with Capcom |
| Campfire and Wayfarer | Scopely | Companion apps included in the sale |
| Ingress | Niantic Spatial | Still running as Ingress Prime |
| Peridot (mobile) | Niantic Spatial | Servers closed August 31, 2026; the characters continue in Hello, Dot and Peridot Beyond |
| Harry Potter: Wizards Unite | Niantic | Closed January 31, 2022 |
Niantic started inside Google and built games on real-world maps.
John Hanke started Niantic Labs inside Google in 2010. Its first game, Ingress, opened as an invitation-only beta in November 2012 and launched publicly in October 2013. Players walked to real landmarks to capture them for one of two factions.
Niantic became an independent company in October 2015. Pokémon GO launched in July 2016 and used the landmark database that Ingress players had built. Niantic followed it with Harry Potter: Wizards Unite in 2019, Pikmin Bloom in 2021, and Peridot and Monster Hunter Now in 2023.
Scopely bought the games in 2025.
On March 12, 2025, Scopely, which is owned by Savvy Games Group, announced that it would buy Niantic’s games business for $3.5 billion. The deal included Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now and the companion apps Campfire and Wayfarer. Savvy said the games had more than 30 million monthly players and more than $1 billion in revenue in 2024. The sale closed on May 29, 2025.
Niantic Spatial kept the mapping technology.
Niantic Spatial launched the week the sale closed, with $250 million in funding. Reports at the time said $200 million came from Niantic’s balance sheet and $50 million from Scopely. Ingress and Peridot moved to Niantic Spatial.
Niantic Spatial’s website describes four products as of October 2026. Reconstruct builds detailed 3D copies of objects and large areas. Localize lets machines work out their exact position from what their cameras see. Understand lets software ask questions about each point in a 3D map. Capture collects 3D data from the ground and the air. It lists embodied AI, defense and intelligence, and oil and gas as its industries.
Niantic Spatial changed leaders and narrowed its focus in 2026.
- On March 23, 2026, John Hanke announced that Inhi Cho Suh would become chief executive and that he would become executive chairman.
- In April 2026, Niantic Spatial said it would close the Peridot mobile game. The app left the App Store and Google Play on May 14, and the servers closed on August 31, 2026. Peridot continues on headsets as Hello, Dot and on Snap Spectacles as Peridot Beyond.
- On May 27, 2026, Niantic Spatial and Spexi Geospatial announced a partnership to turn drone imagery into 3D data.
- In July 2026, Niantic Spatial began closing its New Zealand office and laying off staff there, as it moved away from games toward business customers, Game Developer reported.
- In September 2026, Niantic Spatial and the Singapore Land Authority signed an agreement to study building a visual positioning system for Singapore.
The games team is now called Scopely Explore.
On July 6, 2026, Scopely renamed the Niantic games team Scopely Explore. Scopely said Scopely Explore is not a separate company or subsidiary, and the Pokémon GO team stayed the same. Niantic Spatial remains a separate business.
The split separated Niantic’s games from its mapping business.
Niantic’s games asked people to walk to real places. After the split, Scopely kept the games and their players. Niantic Spatial kept the 3D mapping and positioning technology, and its 2026 announcements are with drone, government and industrial partners rather than with game players.
Edge Orbital is working on a related problem.
Edge Orbital, which publishes this site, is developing NowScape, software that turns everyday photos and video into a 3D view of a real place that keeps updating. NowScape is in development and is not connected to Niantic Spatial. Edge Orbital also makes Tripwire Recon, a free capture-the-flag game for iPhone set in New Orleans.