Players (Trainers) of Pokémon Go will know that Niantic has been both a blessing and curse to the game's history - the former since the company created it and the latter since there have been many mess-ups along the way, perhaps more compared to other (externally developed) Pokémon games. For these reasons, it seems that Niantic is prepared to take the ultimate step to keep the game being developed... but not by the company.
According to a news report, Niantic is planning to sell its games unit - which means not only Pokémon Go but also the other games in the unit, hence the "et al." in this post's title - to another company for a sum that will turn heads, in billions of dollars. Nothing is final as of yet, and the deal may or may not happen with that particular company; regardless, this matter becomes something to watch in order to see what comes out of it.
In any case, this makes it somewhat clear that Niantic is seemingly disinterested to continue developing Pokémon Go, as I had suggested nearly two years ago. I had posed possible solutions to this quandary then as well, though I hadn't considered the possibility of Niantic themselves offering the game - not to mention the division that handles its development and other games as well - for sale to potential suitors with greater interest.
Now, since the sale of the games unit means selling all games, including the ones that aren't Pokémon Go, there is admittedly a lot of stake in this - particularly for the games that don't involve entities related to Pokémon itself. If the present deal falls through, it may be that all relevant parties - including the most relevant one connected to Pokémon, being Nintendo - have to consider the offerings and how to take them off of Niantic's hands.
Seeing this situation unfold is both a little disconcerting and not so surprising, given how Pokémon Go has fared all these years with spectacular successes and abysmal failures. Yet it seems that after all that, it may be time for something different for Pokémon Go under another set of wings that doesn't bear the Niantic name, yet preserving and certainly developing the things that made the game successful and lasting even today.
One year ago: Daisuki! Japan Fest in Memoriam
Two years ago: Tournament: Arcaviary Tournament - Naiad Cup
Three years ago: Show Goes On, and On, and On...
Four years ago: Pokémon Go Tour: Kanto
Five years ago: Living with My Buddy
Six years ago: Poké-Tourism
Seven years ago: Pokémon "Cover Songs"
Eight years ago: Venice and Alto Mare
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