Samsung may be planning to invest $40 million into the Pokémon Go creator.
A recently rumored Samsung Niantic deal has been receiving a lot of buzz as the South Korean smartphone maker could reportedly be investing $40 million in the American software development company. Niantic is the company behind augmented reality mobile games Ingress and the 2016 worldwide phenomenon Pokémon Go.
Samsung Galaxy smartphones could come pre-loaded with Niantic’s games.
The Inquirer learned from an anonymous source familiar with Samsung’s plan that the Samsung Niantic deal could be announced within the next few weeks.
Furthermore, just like Samsung’s recent partnership with Epic Games, which lead to Fortnite being pre-installed on the Galaxy Note 9, the source told the Inquirer that the possible deal could result in Niantic’s games arriving pre-loaded on Galaxy smartphones.
It seems that the company’s primary focus will be gaining the rights to an exclusive Harry Potter game and that this game will involve the use of Samsung’s S-Pen stylus as a “magic wand,” according to the source.
That being said, it is not yet know if such a game would be a reimagined version of Niantic’s upcoming Harry Potter: Wizards Unite AR mobile game, which is set to debut next year for both iOS and Android, or if it will be an entirely new game designed exclusively for Galaxy phones.
The Samsung Niantic deal is said to be occurring at a time when both companies are “desperate for each other.”
Niantic supposedly needs to raise money to take the company public. Meanwhile, Samsung is seeking to stand out from its fellow competitors.
“After a lot of haggling, and pushing, Niantic refused to make the features without a large investment from Samsung, and the number they arrived at was $40m,” the source told the Inquirer.
While it is possible that the companies could announce their rumored deal before the year is up, it’s far more likely that such an announcement would be saved for an event like the upcoming Mobile World Congress. Occurring in 
February 2019, this annual event is also when Samsung is expected to reveal its new Galaxy 10.
Either way, as it stands now, the Samsung Niantic deal is pure speculation as neither company has commented on the rumor.
