You must have heard of “Pokémon GO“, that is, if you haven’t played with friends wherever you go. The title was created by the developer Nianticwhich won over the public with the game that made many people take to the streets.
However, on June 29, the company announced the closure of its Los Angeles studio in the US. This measure will result in the dismissal of approximately 230 employees and the cancellation of some ongoing games, including “Marvel World of Heroes”.
Photo: Niantic/Reproduction
What does Niantic say?
The decision was initially communicated to employees via an email sent by the company’s CEO, John Hanke. The message was later officially released on Niantic’s website. In an excerpt from the statement, Hanke explains the reasons behind this decision:
“During Covid, we allowed our expenses to grow faster than revenue, so that we could achieve more aggressive earnings. However, after the pandemic, our budget returned to the pattern of previous years and new projects in games and platforms did not generate revenues commensurate with such investments.”
In addition to the layoffs, Niantic will also end support for the game “NBA All-World,” released in January, and as mentioned above, will cancel development of the long-awaited “Marvel World of Heroes,” which was announced in September 2022.
Last year, Niantic had already canceled a mobile game based on “Transformers”, in addition to three other projects that were in development. At that time, the company also announced the reduction of 85 to 90 positions.
“Pokémon GO,” the company’s flagship game, is an augmented reality game developed by Niantic in partnership with The Pokémon Company. Launched in July 2016, the game quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, attracting a huge fan base and winning over millions of players around the world.
The innovative concept of “Pokémon GO” combines elements of the real world with the virtual world of Pokémon. Players are encouraged to leave their homes and explore the world around them to capture, train, and battle with adorable Pokémon.
