Credit: Scopely

Niantic, the studio behind augmented reality games Pokémon Go, Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom, has been renamed Scopely Explore.

Announced on 6th July, the day of Pokemon Go's 10th anniversary, Scopely Explore will remain an in-house developer of Scopely - who acquired Niantic last year for $3.5 billion - and not become "a separate company or subsidiary", said a press release.

In practical terms, Scopely said "over the coming weeks, you will see the Niantic name begin to evolve across platforms to Scopely Explore"; in other words, expect to see it replace Niantic on splash screens in its games, as well as apps like Campfire and Wayfarer, fairly soon.

You can read the full statement from Scopely below:

Last year, we welcomed the Niantic games team behind Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, Monster Hunter Now, and companion apps Campfire and Wayfarer to Scopely.

As these games continue to flourish as part of the Scopely portfolio, we are introducing a new name for the team: Scopely Explore.

The name reflects a mission that has guided these teams from the very beginning.

Exploration sits at the heart of these games and experiences, and the communities they serve. Whether encouraging players to discover new places, connect with others, or experience the world in new ways, this team has always been united by a belief that there is more to explore.

Scopely Explore is not a separate company or subsidiary. It is a mission-driven team within Scopely. Like all of the experiences in our portfolio, these games and products are developed and published by Scopely.

Scopely Explore will continue building experiences that inspire people to get outside, connect with one another, and explore the world together for many years to come as part of Scopely.

Over the coming weeks, you will see the Niantic name begin to evolve across platforms to Scopely Explore.

Matthew Reynolds

Matthew Reynolds is founder and editor of One More Catch, and has covered Pokémon Go since day one. An award-winning games journalist based in the UK, he has written for Polygon, Eurogamer, Digital Spy, The Guardian, and Retro Gamer magazine.

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