Who owns Pokémon GO now? The Niantic-Scopely deal, explained
Pokémon GO is no longer owned by Niantic. In 2025 Niantic sold Pokémon GO and its other games to Scopely, a mobile games publisher. Player accounts and the associated location data history transferred with the games and are now governed by the new owner's privacy policy.
That is the whole answer in one paragraph. Below: what exactly was sold, the full ownership chain, what happened to player data, and what you can do about it. Sources are linked throughout.
What exactly was sold
In March 2025, Niantic announced the sale of its entire games division to the mobile publisher Scopely. Three games changed hands:
- Pokémon GO, the AR catching game that defined the genre in 2016
- Monster Hunter Now, the Capcom collaboration
- Pikmin Bloom, the casual walking game
The sale was widely covered at the time, including by Engadget and 404 Media. If you play any of these three games, your account changed owners with them.
Who actually owns it, link by link
"Scopely bought it" is the short answer. Here is the studio and publisher for each game:
| Game | Studio | Parent company |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon GO | Scopely | Savvy Games Group |
| Monster Hunter Now | Scopely | Savvy Games Group |
| Pikmin Bloom | Scopely | Savvy Games Group |
To be clear: ownership alone proves nothing about how data is handled. The chain above is simply the factual answer to "who owns Pokémon GO".
What happened to player data
Two things are documented and worth knowing. First: player accounts transferred with the games. You did not need to sign up again, your account simply has a new owner. Second: the associated location data history transferred too. Games like Pokémon GO record where you played, and that history is part of what changed hands. Techdirt covered exactly this aspect of the deal.
Since the sale, your data is governed by the new owner's privacy policy. That is the factual situation. There is no evidence of any misuse, and we are not claiming any. The honest summary is simpler: the company that holds years of your location history is a different company than the one you originally agreed to share it with.
What players can do
None of this requires panic. It does reward five minutes of housekeeping:
- Read the current privacy policy. Not the 2016 one you clicked through. The one that applies now, under the new owner.
- Request a data export. You can ask for a copy of the data held about you. Depending on where you live, laws like the GDPR make this a legal right.
- Request deletion if you no longer play. An abandoned account still carries your full location history. If you quit years ago, deleting it costs you nothing.
- Check your in-game privacy settings. Review what is shared publicly and what permissions the app holds on your phone.
- Look at alternatives. If the ownership question bothers you, the next section lists several options, including, full disclosure, our own.
Location games with different owners
If you want GPS gaming without the Scopely ownership chain, you have real choices. An honest list:
Geocaching
The original location game, running since 2000. Millions of hidden caches worldwide, operated by Groundspeak in Seattle. No combat, no territory, pure treasure hunting. The most mature community in the genre.
Turf
A Swedish zone-capture game with a loyal long-term player base. You take zones by physically standing in them and earn points for holding them. Simple, competitive, independently run.
Orna
A GPS RPG built by a small independent team. Classic RPG progression (classes, gear, raids) mapped onto your real surroundings. Strong choice if you want depth over walking volume.
MapRaiders
Full disclosure: MapRaiders is our own app. A GPS territory MMO where walking, running or cycling claims persistent real-world territory. Independently owned (Scafa Investments LLC), developed in Miami, Florida. Location is recorded only while you play, there are no ad trackers, location data is never sold, and account deletion plus data export are built into the app. It is new, so the map is mostly empty. That means you can be the first to claim your neighborhood. Compare it directly: MapRaiders vs Pokémon GO and MapRaiders vs Ingress.
Credibility beats pitch: all four are legitimate options, and the right one depends on whether you want treasure hunting, zone tagging, RPG depth or persistent territory. We obviously hope you try ours, but any of them gets you out the door.
Common questions
What you can do in MapRaiders
MapRaiders joins two worlds. Outside, you claim real streets and squares on the GPS map, on foot, running or by bike. Inside, you collect cards, build a deck around your commander and play in the arena, at home or away. Land you walk is meant to bring you cards.
Claim territoryYour route draws the border. Streets and squares on the real map become your territory. 
Card game and arenaFifty cards around one commander. In the arena you play your deck against others, home or away.
Keep reading
Related MapRaiders topics:
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