Today marks the closing of one chapter and the opening of a new one for Niantic. We just announced that Scopely will be acquiring our games business, including Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now. And we’re spinning out a new geospatial AI company, Niantic Spatial Inc. We founded Niantic 10 years ago to inspire people to explore the world, together, by overlaying it with digital experiences. I’m grateful to everyone who joined us on this journey, and I’m proud that players have explored 30+ billion miles and made over a billion friend connections in our games. Every week we hear inspiring stories of people finding lifelong partners, making exercise more fun, or discovering a new sense of belonging. I’m confident our games will thrive with Scopely. I've often talked about building “forever games,” and I believe they will continue to be just that. To our players: thank you. I’m also incredibly excited about what’s next with Niantic Spatial. Why? Because we’re in the midst of seismic changes in technology, with AI evolving rapidly. Existing maps were built for people to read and navigate but now there is a need for a new kind of map that makes the world intelligible for machines, for everything from smart glasses to humanoid robots, so they can understand and navigate the physical world. Today's LLMs represent the first step towards a future where a variety of expert models collaborate to reason and understand complex problems, and many of those problems will require deep and accurate knowledge of the physical world. Niantic is building the models that will help AI move beyond the screen and into the real world. With $250M in funding, some of the world's best geospatial AI talent, access to proprietary data, a strong customer pipeline, and a rapid product cycle, I believe Niantic Spatial is poised to succeed and, like the games that gave birth to it, to make its own positive impact on the world. Stay tuned for more info. jh
Congratulations best of luck with all things Spatial and remember you will always have a friend on this side of the pond !
Machine readable maps is the way to go! Congrats!
It will always have been my honor to have watched Niantic grow. To have been at the advent of history is a rare thing. So many friends have met their spouses and life-long friends through Ingress and Pokémon Go, and I have had the pleasure of knowing and loving some of the closest people in my life because of a "game". No matter what happens now, you have left an indelible mark on the world that no one can ever take away. John Hanke , thank you for everything. You know my story, and I am still standing thanks to the support of a community that was like no other. ❤️ #MoreThanAGame
John – It has been an absolute honor and the privilege of a lifetime to build Niantic alongside you over the past decade. We were incredibly lucky—not just to work together, but to truly enjoy the journey while making a real impact on the gaming world. Wishing you and Niantic Spatial all the best in this next chapter! #Vamos!
So much to be proud of...and even more to be excited about looking forward. Go Niantic, go! So grateful to have been along for some of the ride and to have learned from you John Hanke. Can't wait to see what's next!
Congrads John!
Congratulations Tatsuo Nomura and all the team at Niantic ! 👏
🔥🔥🔥
Congratulations John!