by
William D’Angelo
, posted 54 minutes ago / 158 Views
Niantic is laying off 68 employees after it was sold to Saudi-owned mobile publisher Scopely for $3.5 billion.
The layoffs were spotted by Game Developer and posted by Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) report in California.
The layoffs were announced on March 20, 2025 and those being laid off will be losing their jobs at Niantic Spatial on May 20, 2025.
Niantic was asked for a statement and it said it doesn’t have “anything else to add to that statement at this time.”
Niantic CEO John Hanke on March 20 stated, “Niantic is splitting into two companies, with the acquisition of our games business and team, and the spin off of our technology platform into Niantic Spatial Inc.
“Thank you for your patience as we worked through the structure of the new company we are creating, which will be a more focused organization dedicated to delivering on the promise of geospatial AI.
“As we embark on our new journey as Niantic Spatial, we will need to operate as a startup organization, focused on the road ahead. 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. This week, we are sharing this news with the individuals whose roles are impacted.
“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.”
A life-long and avid gamer, William D’Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Bluesky.
