Pokémon Go 2 isn't on the cards, but Niantic has big plans under new owner Scopely

Scopely’s new leadership is drawing a hard line against a Pokémon Go 2. Ed Wu, now Scopely’s president of games and formerly Niantic’s Pokémon Go SVP, says a sequel would likely fracture the community that makes the game work in the first place. The plan is to keep building around the existing audience and, if something new happens, make it from a different angle rather than a numbered follow-up.

That stance matters because Pokémon Go is still one of mobile’s biggest live-service successes: more than 500 million downloads and over $8.8 billion in revenue by AppMagic estimates, with the game nearing its tenth anniversary. Scopely bought Niantic’s games business in May 2025 for $3.5 billion, taking in Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now. The tech side was spun out as Niantic Spatial, which kept Ingress and Peridot, though Peridot is now set to shut down later this year.

For developers, the interesting part is how Scopely is handling the carve-out. The company says it deliberately kept Niantic Games and Niantic Spatial separate, and avoided layoffs at the games arm after the acquisition. Heather Tacskovics says Scopely spent 2025 talking to 800 potential partners and prioritizes cultural fit, long-term operation, and whether its Playgami tech can add analytics and support without disrupting live operations.

The broader takeaway is that Scopely is treating this as a long-horizon live-ops business, not a quick content flip. Wu says the acquisition gives the team room to think in five- and ten-year terms, expand into new markets, and explore new tech and partners...