Stay Informed
Get Industry News In Your Inbox…
Sign Up Today
Niantic Spatial has laid off five additional employees as part of its ongoing restructuring after selling its games business to Savvy Games Group subsidiary Scopely for $3.5 billion.
As reported by Game Developer, Niantic Spatial confirmed that a “small number” of employees were laid off. A WARN notice in California revealed five people were affected by the latest round of job cuts.
“As a result of the reorganisation of Niantic Spatial, we identified a small number of additional positions that were unfortunately no longer required in the new company,” said a spokesperson.
This follows a previous layoff of 68 workers tied to the $3.5bn deal, which included Niantic’s internal development teams and franchises like Pokémon Go.
Headcount reduction
Niantic Spatial CEO John Hanke previously noted there would be layoffs at the firm following its spin-off, stating it would streamline operations and allow the company to function more like a startup.
“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,” Hanke said in a previous statement.
The company focuses on geospatial AI, a field Niantic had already been exploring alongside its games. It launched with $250 million in funding – $200m from Niantic and $50m from Scopely – aiming to accelerate growth and scale quickly.
