Monopoly Go game maker Scopely to buy Pokemon Go team

Scopely will pay $3.5 billion to acquire Niantic’s game unit, including the studio behind Pokemon Go.

Mobile games giant Scopely will pay $3.5 billion to acquire Niantic's game unit including the studio behind Pokemon Go, the companies announced on Tuesday.

The purchase will add Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now teams to a Scopely stable that includes popular mobile title Monopoly Go.

"We are extremely inspired by what the team has built over the last decade, delivering innovative experiences that captivate a vast, enduring global audience and get people out in the real world," Scopely chief revenue officer Tim O'Brien said of Niantic.

"We look forward to further accelerating the team's creativity through our partnership."

San Francisco-based Niantic plans to spin off its geospatial artificial intelligence business into a new company led by founder and chief executive John Hanke.

Niantic is known for mobile games that combine real-world mapping and exploration with play by synching challenges or accomplishments with locations detected by smartphones.

More than 100 million people play Niantic games, according to the company.