Niantic Spatial Lays Off 68 Employees, Shifts Focus to AI Mapping After $3.5B Games Sale

Pokémon Go creator Niantic lays off 68 people following $3.5bn games sale

Remaining employees now part of slimmed down spin-off focused on AI mapping. Niantic has made 68 employees redundant as part of its company restructuring process following the sale of its gaming portfolio to Monopoly Go maker Scopely - a deal worth $3.5bn. The deal has seen Scopely become owner of Niantic games Pokémon Go, Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom, and the new employer of the teams that work on those titles. These layoffs, meanwhile, come from the remaining staff at Niantic working on other projects, as the organisation slims down and effectively rebrands as a startup, named Niantic Spatial. Niantic had previously warned of job losses among its remaining team as part of this process. Now, as detailed in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) spotted by Game Developer, we know how many. The company has declined to comment further about the job losses. Niantic Spatial will focus on a refreshed version of Niantic's original core interest - creating a digital map of the planet, now using geospatial AI. The newly-rebranded company has secured $250m of capital investment, $50m from Scopely and $200m from Niantic's own balance sheet in order to move forward. "We're in the midst of seismic changes in technology, with AI evolving rapidly," Niantic founder John Hanke wrote recently on Niantic Spatial's focus. "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." Eurogamer recently travelled to a major Pokémon Go fan event in Italy, held shortly after the sale was announced, and heard of players' mixed emotions regarding Scopely now being in charge.

Niantic Spatial Lays Off 68 Employees Following Sale of Games Business to Scopely - IGN

Niantic Spatial, the tech company that remains of Niantic after it sold off its games business to Scopely last month, just laid off 68 people following the roughly $3.5 billion transaction. This news was spotted by Game Developer via a California WARN Act report, shows that at least 68 individuals are losing their jobs effect May 20, 2025. CEO John Hanke confirmed the news by sharing an email distributed to employees today. In it, he said that the layoffs came as a result of Niantic Spatial needing to "operate as a startup organization, focused on the road ahead", for which "some roles would not be required given our new focus." It's worth noting that Niantic was formed in 2010 under Google as Niantic Labs, and became independent in 2015. "These decisions are never easy; they in no way reflect the individuals' performance, and we understand their impact on people's lives," he continued. "We deeply appreciate the talented individuals who helped us get here and for their many contributions, and will support them as they transition to new opportunities." These layoffs impact Niantic Spatial, which is the portion of Niantic that was spun off following the sale of Niantic's games business - including Pokemon Go, Monopoly Go!, and other games - to Scopely last month for over $3.5 billion. Niantic Spatial's focus is on using geospatial artificial intelligence to develop new technology and products, something Niantic was already been doing for a while both outside of and with the help of its games. Niantic Spatial was funded with $250 million of capital, $200 million from Niantic's balance sheet and a $50 million Scopely investment. Upon its announcement, the company said its intention was to "accelerate and scale even more rapidly".