Niantic Stock: How Realistic is a Pokémon Go IPO?
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Table of Contents
Recent Niantic News
10/30/2023: Pokémon Go creator says it’s not game over for the app
06/29/2023: Niantic lays off 230 employees, cancels games
03/30/2023: Niantic ‘adjusts’ prices on Pokémon Go Remote Raid Passes
Older news…
What is Niantic?
Niantic Labs is a leading augmented reality video game developer known best for creating the Pokémon Go phone app. The company began as a startup inside Google in 2010 but spun off in 2015 as a separate private entity.
The company has created a handful of other games since its founding, including Ingress Prime, Pikman Bloom, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, Monster Hunter Now, and Catan: World Explorers.
However, it has shuttled Harry Potter, Catan, Transformers: Heavy Metal, and other early-stage games due to layoffs or when they do not generate enough initial interest.
New games currently under development include Peridot (virtual pets) and a National Basketball Association (NBA) licensed game called NBA: All World.
Niantic now seems more focused on promoting its development platform, Lightship, an augmented reality developer kit. It enables app developers to “build the real-world metaverse.”
The company is headquartered in San Francisco and led by CEO John Hanke. Hanke founded Keyhole, a geospatial data visualization company, in 2001. In 2004, Google acquired Keyhole, which became Google Earth.
Here’s a promotional video of Pokémon Go demonstrating how people interact with the game:
Is Niantic Publicly Traded?
No. Niantic is a private company. There is no Pokémon Go stock.
Who Owns Niantic?
Niantic is a venture-backed private company. Its investors include the founders, employees, media companies, and venture capital firms.
Prominent media company investors include The Pokémon Company and Nintendo.
Venture capital firms participating in funding rounds include Google Ventures, Coatue, IVP, aXiomatic Gaming, Battery Ventures, Causeway Media Partners, CRV, and Samsung Ventures.
Niantic Funding Rounds
| Round | Date | Est. Valuation | Raise Amount | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series D | 11/21/21 | $9.00B | $300.00M | NA |
| Series C | 01/01/19 | $4.00B | $245.00M | $30.09 |
| Series B | 11/23/17 | $2.90B | $200.00M | $23.69 |
| Series A | 02/24/16 | $105.00M | $35.00M | $1.00 |
| Source: Caplight |
Niantic Valuation
The most recent confirmed Niantic valuation is $9 billion based on the November 2021 Series D funding round.
Late 2021 was the height of IPO and private market euphoria. Many startups that raised funds at the time have fallen in valuation.
An insignificant amount of pre-IPO marketplace data is currently available. But I estimate Niantic’s valuation is at least half of that previously confirmed number.
When is the Niantic IPO Date?
The Niantic IPO date is currently unknown.
Niantic has not yet filed for an IPO with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The broader IPO market has slowed dramatically after 2021, making it more difficult for startups to enter the public markets.
Public and private valuations have tumbled.
Niantic reduced staff by 8% and canceled projects in early Summer 2022 to prepare for future economic turbulence.
In a 2019 interview with Fortune, CEO John Hanke said the company was positioning itself for an eventual IPO. Niantic missed the favorable IPO window of 2020-2021.
The $300 Series D funding round completed in November 2021 with Coatue should give the company sufficient capital to develop its development platform and new games. But so far, the company has been a one-hit wonder with Pokémon Go.
The author expects the IPO will not commence until market conditions improve, Niantic creates its next big gaming hit, and the development platform gains traction.
We won’t get a better sense of when the Niantic IPO will be until we learn of the hiring of an underwriter, an S-1 filing (public or confidential), or an IPO date range that reaches the press.
What is the Niantic Stock Symbol?
Niantic is still a private company, so there is no Niantic stock symbol yet.
Here are a few Niantic ticker suggestions that appear to be available in the U.S.:
- NIAN
- NTC
What is the Niantic Stock Price?
There is no public Niantic stock price yet. The company is private.
Private stock price information is becoming more available and reliable based on pre-IPO marketplace data and other sources.
However, pre-IPO marketplace data is limited for Niantic as of Q2 2024.
How to Invest in Niantic Stock
Since Niantic is not a public company, it is challenging to become an equity owner today.
However, you can take action to improve your chances of early equity ownership or acquire shares in the IPO.
You can also look to gain exposure to Niantic shares indirectly through companies with an existing stake, such as Nintendo (NTDOY).
Otherwise, you’ll need to be patient for shares to begin trading after the IPO.
1. Buy Niantic on Pre-IPO investing platforms
The author has seen limited evidence of Niantic being available on pre-IPO platforms. Monitor pre-IPO marketplace platforms like Hiive for availability.
If shares become available, expect to pay at least a $10,000 investment minimum. It’s free to sign up for access and alerts.
Pre-IPO investing platforms empower users to indicate interest in companies they wish to invest in.
If enough investors indicate interest in a particular company, the pre-IPO platforms may actively reach out to equity holders to try to acquire shares for accredited investors.
As companies mature, gain more shareholders, and delay their IPO due to macro conditions, more equity holders may seek liquidation before the IPO.
Check out our list of top pre-IPO investing platforms for current share availability.
2. Participate in the Niantic IPO through a broker
Savvy IPO investors may find opportunities to invest during the IPO. That means acquiring shares at the IPO price the night before the company begins trading.
Once reserved for Wall Street’s wealthiest customers, IPO access has become more attainable to retail investors in the past five years.
The following online brokers give customers free access to IPOs, even with low account balances.
Brokers often negotiate exclusive IPO share allocations to retail investors. Your access to specific high-demand IPOs may be limited by how many brokerage accounts you have and what broker gets exclusive access.
TradeStation has a longer track record of accessing more than 200 IPOs and secondary offerings via its partnership with ClickIPO.
Robinhood has the advantage of Silicon Valley networks and a history of getting allocations for high-profile IPOs.
Check out this list of best brokers for IPO investing to learn more about IPO access for retail investors.
3. Buy Niantic shares after the Niantic IPO
Though patience is necessary in waiting for the IPO, advantages exist in waiting for the stock to become publicly traded:
- Investors can review financials leading up to the IPO; detailed financials are often limited in pre-IPO investing.
- Many IPOs experience an initial price increase (“the pop”) followed by a decline once quarterly earnings reports are available.
- Post-IPO stock price declines can present excellent entry points for those not allocated IPO shares.
Avoid buying overvalued shares immediately after the IPO, as prices can fall due to lockup expirations and disappointments in quarterly earnings.
Despite short-term fluctuations, patience can be rewarding for post-IPO investors — especially if you can identify long-term winners early on.
Where can I find the Niantic IPO S-1 Filing?
Niantic has not yet submitted an S-1 filing to the SEC. When the company does, we’ll share it here.
In the meantime, you can check out the most recent S-1 filings in our S-1 filings feed.
Niantic News Archive
10/05/2022: Lucky Charms & Niantic Launch New AR Mobile Game
06/28/2022: Niantic Cancels Four Projects, Cuts 8% of Staff
12/14/2021: The Metaverse is Already Here — and it’s Full of Pokémon
11/22/2022: Niantic Receives $300 Million Investment From Coatue
06/14/2021: Pokémon Go creator Niantic is making a Transformers game
01/16/2019: ‘Pokémon Go’ Creator Captures $245 Million in Funding, Mulls IPO
Conclusion
Investors get excited when they identify companies riding extraordinary macroeconomic trends (gaming, augmented reality).
However, buying the stock early on can often prove difficult for retail investors. Niantic, in particular, has limited shares available in pre-IPO marketplaces.
Though pre-IPO investing platforms have opened more opportunities, private equity investing is still primarily reserved for the ultra-wealthy, requiring millions to invest in seed and early funding rounds for disruptive companies.
So, if you pursue IPO shares and early equity, maintain reasonable expectations. However, if you identify several favorite IPO companies, you may eventually be able to invest in some of your target companies.
If Niantic stock is on your radar, good luck. Invest in pre-IPO and IPO companies with caution.
* Disclosure: The web page contains affiliate links from our partners. If a reader opens an account or buys a service from a link in this article, we may be compensated at no additional cost to the reader. Opening an account with a broker that provides access to IPOs does not guarantee the customer allocations of specific IPOs. The author is long HOOD and NTDOY.
Craig Stephens is a former IT professional who left his 19-year consulting career at the IRS to be a full-time finance writer. A DIY investor since 1995, he started Access IPOs in 2016 to provide a resource for ordinary investors pursuing access to IPOs. Craig studied Finance at Michigan State University and lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and three children. Learn more about Craig.
