Fans roast as Niantic sells entire gaming division for $3.5B: "People still play Pokémon Go? What year are we in?"

Niantic—the Pokémon Go geniuses—has dropped the Pokéball and sold all of its gaming business to Scopely (Monopoly Go developers) for a whopping $3.5 billion. Included in the deal are Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now, and, of course, the game that caused people to walk into traffic in 2016.

Niantic is abandoning gaming altogether to concentrate on its geospatial AI venture.

And the internet is not having it. Some are labeling it the ultimate cash grab, others are surprised Pokémon Go is still worth billions, and a few are flat-out convinced they time-traveled because they believed this game died years ago.

One X user (@tsfionagirl) commented:

"People still play pokemon go? what year are we in? 2017? 😭🤣"

If you listen closely, you can hear Despacito playing in the distance.

A user (@ej_sanmartin) asked:

"Isn’t that Niantic’s entire business."

Not, they just switched to being a geospatial AI venture (whatever that means).

One user (@BELIEVE_UR_EYES) speculated:

"Who is still playing Pokemon go?"

One user (@The_Seer507) noted:

"Man, Tech industry is a hell of a bubble. Pokemon GO has been dead for years, no way it is worth that much."

Does that mean Niantic flipped a ‘dead’ game for more money than most game studios make in a decade?

A user (@The_Epic_Scenes) joked:

"Pokémon GO-ing… going… gone."

This comment is straight out of a 2016 meme page.

A user (@imL3G10N) humorously went on to say:

"Bring back spoofing."

Well, spoofers might be the only ones keeping Pokémon Go alive.

A user (@MashigiVT) said:

"Niantic getting that cash bag."

Make one hit game, milk it, and disappear.

---

Niantic sells Pokémon Go to Scopely

Scopely, a leading global entertainment company, creates a range of interactive games such as Star Trek Fleet Command, Marvel Strike Force, and Stumble Guys. The company is known for aggressive monetization on titles like Monopoly Go, which could impact the Pokémon Go user experience.

But Ed Wu, the head of Pokémon Go, has assured that he is optimistic about the acquisition heading in the right direction for the game's future. Wu was cited by GameRant as stating:

"Scopely fully believes in our mission and ongoing goal to create the best Pokemon GO experience possible."

Wu added:

"I have spoken to a number of game leaders at Scopely who have given me great confidence in how the company enables each game to independently develop and creatively thrive."

Niantic's odyssey so far started with the launch of Pokémon Go in 2016.

The success of the game was massive, drawing in more than 500 million players within its first year and holding a stable base of over 30 million monthly active users, Scopely revealed in a press release. The game has been among the top-grossing mobile games, with a lifetime revenue estimated at $7.9 billion.

The firm will separate its technology platform into a standalone business called Niantic Spatial, which will be headed by CEO John Hanke.