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Report: Pokemon Go developer Niantic eyes new $200m funding round

Would raise company valuation to $3.9 billion

Report: Pokemon Go developer Niantic eyes new $200m funding round

Pokemon Go developer Niantic is trying to raise a further $200 million in funding, according to a report.

The Wall Street Journal claims “people familiar with the matter” have said the investment is set to be led by IVP, along with Samsung Electronics and aXiomatic Gaming.

The round follows on from the $200 million the company raised in November 2017. If successful, the latest funding would value Niantic at $3.9 billion.

In the money

Niantic’s flagship title Pokemon Go was a cultural phenomenon when it first launched back in 2016. Fast-forward two years and, while the title never went away, it has experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent times thanks to a series of updates and new pokemon.

Niantic recently launched Ingress Prime, a reimagining of the title location-based title from which the company made its name.

It’s currently working on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, another location-based AR title set to launch in 2019. The firm also has its Real World Platform which powers its games and is available for other developers to utilise.,

Niantic has been nominated for Best Technological Innovation, Best Live Ops and Best Developer at the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2019.

The developer was also ranked 11th in PocketGamer.biz’s top 50 developer list for 2018.

Are you a games developer or publisher seeking investment? Check out the Investor Connector at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2019 (January 21st to 22nd).


Head of Content

Craig Chapple is a freelance analyst, consultant and writer with specialist knowledge of the games industry. He has previously served as Senior Editor at PocketGamer.biz, as well as holding roles at Sensor Tower, Nintendo and Develop.