At the beginning of this year, Pokémon Go Maker Niantic announced that he was selling his portfolio of mobile games to the owner of Monopoly Go Scoply for USD 3.5 billion, in motion, which was both celebrated and despised by the part of the devoted game base.
For some fans, the modern property finally meant freedom from the previous owner of Niantic, largely pressing the undesirable functions of augmented reality to the game. (Niantic, after sales, has basically changed under a fresh title, spatial nantic and made in the pursuit of AR technology the only goal.) Scoply, for comparison, is completely focused on games.
But for other fans, especially those who played other titles, the change caused concerns about the potential of increased monetization and all involvement by the mother company Scoply Savvy Games, which is a product of the controversial investment fund of Saudi Arabia.
As part of the first round of interviews, since the takeover of USD 3.5 billion was finalized at the beginning of this month, I sat down with the director of Pokémon Go, Michael Ster, to discuss the influence of the changing hands of the game, and what the ownership of Scoply would really mean for fans of the game for smartphones.
“We physically moved in principle one block, so you know, it wasn’t a big change,” starts with a sterana when we sit at Pokémon on the on -board chairs at the Big Go Fest 2025 party live in Paris last weekend. “In fact, it was one of our offices we had, so a really known space.
“I would say that the most unusual thing in this transition is how it was uninterrupted,” he adds. “It was very business as usual.”
In the case of Pokémon Go, Business, as usual, means a constantly tight schedule of events in the game and additional editions of Pokémon, as well as physical events such as Go Fest 2025 and the upcoming debut of the mysterious series of mobile events, Pokémon Go Road Trip 2025, which will start in Great Britain this month and end in Cologne. At all times and during the acquisition period, Sterka claims that Pokémon lasted him normally – although as he admits, still early days.
“As you know, our full team of programmers moved with us, and when it comes to the day with which we interact, we all still add to Ed Woo, the leader of our team in Niantic, who is still in Scoply.”
So what will change? Let’s start with the positive for most fans of Pokémon Go-probably reducing the concentration of AR-oriented gameplay.
“The key thing, which may be a slightly less priority, is to focus on augmented reality,” admits Sterka. “It’s no secret that many players were not very excited about some AR systems that have been added to the game for years. Going forward, if we add any AR function to Pokémon Go, it will be because we as a band really believe that it will be fun and exciting thing.”
Unlike Niantic, Scoply is a company completely devoted to video games – something that Sternka may describe as “a breeze of fresh air” for her team.
“Philosophically is great or I expect it to be great, it will be in a company that is fully devoted to games, because I just feel that we fought a little on the side of Niantic,” he says. “It’s only when it comes to the company’s general priorities and where we want to invest, and what company initiatives we move forward Scoply, it will be very focused on the best in this game. And I think it will be a pleasant breeze of fresh air for everyone.”
Despite recent changes to enhance the number of functions in the game available for fans playing remotely, and introduce modern items, such as Lucky Tinket and costly upcoming Golden Bottle, Sterka claims that players simply see their own map of the Pokémon Go function, planned for months earlier, live.
“It’s a bit funny because I think that some of the last changes we introduced in the game were what players had counted on and wanted for some time, and a lot of internet talk I saw was suspected that” Oh, it must be caused by the concrete acquisition ” – says Sterka. “These are the things we’ve been working on.
“But honestly, Scoply did not come in and said,” Hey, don’t do it. ” They come very much and supported all the things we have already planned on the road map.
Indeed, when it comes to plans for the future and the suggestion that every new owner can enter and start adding new things to the existing Pokémon Go content schedule, Sterka claims that the Pokémon GO team has already “almost planned for the next two years, although it also changes.”
Shortly after the sale is announced, Sterka sat down through a long heart to heart with trainersPerhaps the most renowned and longest enduring player Pokémon Go on YouTube, for an insightful interview, which aimed to tranquil the initial fears of fans about the future of the game. A few months later, and the contract is over, I am asking the helm where he believed that the sentiment of the community towards the game and its modern property was now.
“I think that people who are skeptical will remain skeptical,” says Sterka. “The biggest thing we can do is simply prove that this is a great direction for the game. But I think that especially after an interview with Trainertips, I strongly saw people have a bit more optimistic for the future. This is healthy skepticism, but optimistic, regardless of this. That’s how I feel.
“I have heard great things about Scoply. I think that actions will speak louder than words, but so far the actions have been amazing and I have all the expectations that it will last in the coming years.”
Despite this, next to this enthusiasm, I wanted to ask about the duel between the now separated team Pokémon Go Niantica and the experienced games. In the past, Pokémon Him often set up as an integration game led by progressive leadership. I asked the helm what internal conversations would look like around being owned, ultimately by the company supported by Saudi and what it could mean for the game.
“It was definitely something that I was personally curious when I met Walter Driver, a coexisting and founder of Scoply,” says Sterka. “I turned to him with him, and his perspective really resonated with me.
“And I think that it is really very central for our philosophy around Pokémon also as a game. We want people to go out and meet other people in their community and fully believe in the strength of face to face and find a common plane and improve the world from this kind of approach to the community.
“So yes, I don’t think there are any serious or any changes that are dictated at a high level, from an experienced one, and if something simply means, we have funds needed to invest in areas where we always wanted to invest. And I am really excited, because there is a world in which we may become a public company, and then we are at the collection of a request for shares in the case.
At the beginning of this year, SNK, another company supported by Saudi Arabia, raised his eyebrows, including the European football star Cristian Ronaldo in the new Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves game, when Ronaldo himself cement in Saudi football leagues.
“I saw it,” says Sterka, when I move it.
It seems to me that you say that you do not expect Ronaldo in Pokémon to leave in the near future, I ask.
“Definitely not” is the Sterka’s answer. “Yes, it’s a bit not our atmosphere in Pokémon Go.”
Tom Phillips is the editor of Ign. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on BlueSky @tomphillipseg.bsky.Social
