Niantic Spatial, the tech firm that is still of Niantic after it offered off its video games business to Scopely final month, simply laid off 68 people following the roughly $3.5 billion transaction.
This information was spotted by Game Developer through a California WARN Act report, reveals that not less than 68 people are shedding their jobs impact May 20, 2025. CEO John Hanke confirmed the news by sharing an email distributed to workers as we speak.
In it, he stated that the layoffs got here as a end 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 price noting that Niantic was shaped in 2010 below Google as Niantic Labs, and have become unbiased 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 influence Niantic Spatial, which is the portion of Niantic that was spun off following the sale of Niantic's video games business – together with Pokemon Go, Monopoly Go!, and different video games – to Scopely last month for over $3.5 billion. Niantic Spatial's focus is on utilizing geospatial artificial intelligence to develop new technology and merchandise, one thing Niantic was already been doing for a whereas each outdoors of and with the help of its games.
Niantic Spatial was funded with $250 million of capital, $200 million from Niantic's stability sheet and a $50 million Scopely investment. Upon its announcement, the corporate stated its intention was to "accelerate and scale even more rapidly".
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can discover her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].