Pokemon Go and Monopoly Go could reportedly soon be under the same Saudi-owned umbrella, if Scopely and Niantic press go on a deal

It’s a Wednesday, and I’m here to bring you news that – as far as I’m aware – two of the world’s most well-known mobile games with Go in the name could be about to be owned by the same company, which doesn’t also have go in the name, and is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Pokemon Go developer Niantic is in talks with Monopoly Go publisher Scopely over a deal for the latter to buy the former’s video games business element. About $3.5 billion, so several volumes more cash than you or I will ever see in our lives, is the repoted price tag currently being discussed.

Bloomberg adds that any agreement – if one is indeed reached – would almost certainly include Pokemon Go. As you might remember, Go was massive back in the days when TCG Pocket was yet to even become a glint in the eye of the bit TPC that’s dedicated to making lucrative things involving putting together an army of cute fake animals who’ll then fight to the death on your behalf, you monster.

However, Niantic has struggled to replicate that kind of success in recent yers, despite the likes of Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom doing pretty decently for it. MH Now, for example, has helped one of my coworkers realise he actually likes his mates.

Enter Scopely, which is owned by the Savvy Games Group that’s part of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and is riding the wave of Monopoly Go generating more cash than you’d need to buy the entire board several times over.

As you may be aware, Savvy’s growing wave of investments across the games industry – including stakes in the likes of EA and Take-Two Interactive – have proven controversial due to the PIF being the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, whose ruler Mohammed bin Salman and government have been criticised for the country’s human rights record. Bin Salman has also been accused of ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.