Captain America, Spider-Man and Iron Man were tipped to team with Pokemon in a $3.5 billion deal between mobile gaming specialist Scopely and Niantic which Bloomberg reported could be sealed in a matter of weeks.

The news outlet stated Niantic is in talks to sell its gaming unit, which is most famous for producing the Pokemon Go AR title released in 2016.

As always, Bloomberg cautioned there is no guarantee a deal will go through, but reported if it does, it would cover various Niantic mobile titles.

Pokemon Go is one of five titles listed in the gaming section of Niantic’s website, along with a pair of community-focused AR apps.

Scopely, meanwhile, offers a range of mobile games including a Marvel title featuring the iconic comic book characters and Monopoly Go, based on a popular board game involving building wealth, old boots and small dogs.

Bloomberg reported Scopely was acquired by Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund subsidiary Savvy Games Group for $4.9 billion in 2023, with the parent’s CEO keen on bolstering its roster with a category-defining title.

As one of the world’s most popular AR titles, Pokemon Go would fit the bill.

Global data and business intelligence platform Statista placed Pokemon Go’s in-app purchase revenue at $544.7 million in 2024.

But the company’s data also reveals the rub for Niantic, with the sum down from $584.3 million in 2023 and a far cry from the near $1 billion per year in 2020 and 2021.

Bloomberg suggested a struggle to replicate the success of Pokemon Go is behind Niantic’s willingness to explore a sale of the gaming unit, noting the company had cut staff and called time on a big-name Harry Potter title in recent years.