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Scopely, a Saudi developer behind an emergency mobile game Monopoly go!arranged a $ 3.5 billion contract for acquisition Pokémon go and a few other applications of Creator Niantica, which turns to focus on artificial intelligence.
Pokémon go It became a sensation overnight when it was launched in 2016, it was created as one of the most popular and lucrative mobile games, and at the same time pionered a new type of “Enlarged Reality” that puts digital characters across the real world paintings when looking through the smartphone camera window.
This is still one of the highest mobile games today, and 30 million monthly players spent more than $ 1 billion last year in Niantic’s games.
The deal will be given by Scopely, who acquired the Saudi ownership A group of smart games 2023. For $ 4.9 billion, a total audience of more than 500 million players, guided by huge success Monopoly go! The application was the second highest mobile game last year, according to an App Magagic App Magic, and the players spent about $ 2.2 billion.
“We are extremely inspired by what [Niantic] The team has built in the past decade, providing innovative experiences that enchant a huge, permanent global audience and draw people in the real world, “said Tim O’Brien, a major revenue officer in Scopely.” Little games in the world delivered the scale and longevity Pokémon gowhich reached more than 100 mn players only last year. “
Niantic based in San Francisco, who was distorted Google’s mapping units in 2015 and esteemed $ 9 billion in 2021, sells his games in the game at the same time as he took a new unit focused on the “geo -prostoric AI”, to develop his “next generation folder” formed from the paintings and information about the location recorded by his players.
John Hanke, founder and CEO of Niantic, said his new venture, called Niantic Spaon, worked on maps that make the “world understandable for machines” from smart glasses to robots. “Niantic builds models that will help Ai -I am moving outside the screen and in the real world,” he said.
Scopely will continue to share some of the players from their games from their $ 50 million investments in Niantic Spaceal, which will also be capitalized using 200 million euros Biljna Bilance of his former parent.
Niantic’s existing investors-Koji include Nintendo, Google, Coatee and IVP-Dobit will be $ 3.5 billion in sales revenue, as well as $ 350 million previously held at the company state of the company’s state, and will also become shareholders at AI Spin-off.
For the mind, the job is the latest step in the plan of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to make Saudi Arabia a global playing center. The plan began in 2022 when the Government discovered the national game strategy and Esport, with the fund for the sovereign wealth of the Kingdom in charge of achieving this goal as part of the effort to diversify its economy from oil addiction.
The Public Investment Fund has intended almost $ 40 billion to make the kingdom power in games and build a local industry, with plans for the founding of 250 games for games in Saudi Arabia and creating 39,000 jobs by 2030. Mind is considered a major vehicle for these ambitions. A number of contracts followed, including roles to Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Activision Blizzard and Take-Two Interactive.
The country has also hosted the major video game tournaments in recent years. The last of these events came last summer when Riyadh hosted the ESports World Cup, where more than 500 teams competed for the prize pool of more than $ 60 million.
The Saudi pressure on the video will be expected to continue, with the Kingdom hosting the first ESGORTS GAMA 2027 Olympic Games. After the country signed a 12-year contract with the International Olympic Committee last year.
