Niantic，Pokémon Go’s developer is laying off 68 employees

 Niantic Spatial announced the job cuts after it sold its gaming business to the Saudi Arabia-owned developer Scopely last monthwith selling its game business for $3.5 billion .

The company filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) in California, signaling that 68 employees would be laid off effective May 20th, 2025, as required by state law mandating 60 days’ notice before mass layoffs.

It said the deal would allow the company to refocus on the geospatial AI business with the formation of a new company called Niantic Spatial Inc.

“We carefully evaluated the structure we believe is needed for the new company, and after a lot of consideration, it became clear that some roles would not be required given our new focus,” said  John Hanke,  CEO of Niantic Spatialin a statement.

He added: “These decisions are never easy; they in no way reflect the individuals’ performance, and we understand their impact on people’s lives.

Hanke continued: “These decisions are never easy; they in no way reflect the individuals’ performance, and we understand their impact on people’s lives. 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.”

Niantic has confirmed Hanke’s note relates to the WARN report and said it doesn’t have “anything else to add to that statement at this time.”

Background supplement:

This round of layoffs is a strategic adjustment made by Niantic after selling its gaming business. In the future, it will focus on AI geospatial technology

In 2023, Niantic closed its Los Angeles studio and laid off 230 employees. This is the second large-scale downsizing

Pokemon GO is still operated by Niantic and has not been affected by this transaction