Niantic Rebranding Marks a New Chapter for Pokémon GO After Scopely Deal
Niantic, the studio behind Pokémon GO, is officially undergoing a full rebrand, marking the end of its old identity as it aligns more closely with its current parent company. The change follows Scopely’s acquisition of Niantic in March 2025 for a reported $3.5 billion, with Scopely best known for its mobile hit Monopoly GO. More than a year later, the Pokémon GO developer is changing its name and logo to better reflect its place within the Scopely umbrella.
The rebrand arrives shortly after Pokémon GO celebrated its 10th anniversary on July 6, 2026. The game originally exploded onto the scene in Summer 2016, reaching close to 500 million downloads worldwide and eventually landing at $6 billion in net revenue by 2020. Even though daily player numbers have declined over the past decade, the game still draws roughly 5 million active players each day.
Niantic is also using this transition period to spotlight a new in-game addition, along with extra improvements planned for the game’s Today View.
Pokemon GO Developer Niantic Rebrands to Scopely Explore
A decade after Pokémon GO made its big splash, Niantic is now operating under the name Scopely Explore and has updated its logo to match. Scopely’s official announcement describes the switch as a way to reflect “a mission that has guided these teams from the very beginning.” The company also clarifies that Scopely Explore isn’t a standalone studio or a separate subsidiary; instead, it’s a team within Scopely shaped by the types of experiences the publisher builds—specifically efforts designed to encourage players to get out and explore the world around them.
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Beyond Pokémon GO, Scopely Explore’s catalog includes Pikmin Bloom, the spin-off in the Pikmin series, plus Monster Hunter Now, the studio’s take on Capcom’s long-running Monster Hunter franchise. Players should see these games receive updates that apply the new branding over the next several weeks, though the underlying gameplay experiences are expected to stay the same aside from the visual and brand changes.
Pokémon GO also has a packed schedule ahead as the Forever Forward season runs through September 8. For the 10th anniversary, players were able to track down a special Gimmighoul variation, and a Rayquaza-focused event is set to begin on July 25. That event will let players obtain the Meteorite item, which enables Mega Evolution for Rayquaza. Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Global is also scheduled to kick off later this month, with the event running July 11 and 12 and featuring Legendary Mewtwo and Mythical Zeraora as featured attractions.
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A new calendar feature inside Pokémon GO is coming to help players track all of these upcoming activities. Alongside Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Global later this month, August will bring Pokémon GO to the Pokémon World Championships, with a 1v1 tournament scheduled for August 28 through 30. There’s also another major moment on the horizon: the August 2026 Community Day on August 16, during which players can cast votes for one of four potential featured Pokémon—Tadbulb, Nickit, Fidough, or Yamper. Despite Niantic’s shift into the Scopely Explore identity, it’s clear the studio is still planning plenty for Pokémon GO fans more than 10 years after launch.
