Given expectations for Pokemon GO following its initial unveiling, it doesn’t come as a surprise to learn that all three of the previously mentioned companies have invested roughly $20 million in the studio developing the game, Niantic Labs. Provided certain milestones are met, however, that initial investment could climb up another $10 million, ringing in at a grand total of $30 million when all is said and done.
While this seems like a fair amount of capital for the gaming firm, apparently the funds are going to more than just the forthcoming Pocket Monster title. Instead, this money will also be applied, at least somewhat, to Niantic Labs’ existing game, Ingress. That title is similar to Pokemon GO in the sense that it’s an “augmented-reality massively-multiplayer online role-playing location-based game” according to its wikipedia page – which is as much a mouthful as it is the very premise that GO is based on.
The CEO of Niantic, John Hanke, spoke briefly about where the newly acquired funds would be headed.
There’s still much that’s unknown about Pokemon GO that should be answered in the months ahead. With word on Nintendo’s first legitimate foray into mobile games also at hand, with an apparent reveal set to happen soon, it looks like the Big N is banking hard on the growth of mobile content. Time will tell if it has paid dividends for the company, but pouring cash into Pokemon GO seems like a very sound investment at this point in time.
Source: Pokemon
