Think you were just catching Pikachu? Think again. A bombshell new report suggests that the billions of environmental scans collected from Pokémon Go players may have been used to develop navigation technology for military drones and robots — all without players having any idea.
If you’ve ever completed a “scan task” in Pokémon Go for bonus rewards, you might want to read this carefully.
Table of Contents
What Happened?
1 Millions of Pokémon Go players who spent years scanning their surroundings for in-game rewards allegedly unknowingly contributed to a highly detailed navigation system developed by Niantic Spatial, a U.S.-based company spun out of the original Pokémon Go developer, that is now set to be used in military drones and robots. 1 Nearly 30 billion scans collected from hundreds of millions of players have become the property of Niantic Spatial and were reportedly used to train a 3D model enabling precise navigation when GPS signals are unavailable.
Who’s Behind the Military Connection?
| Entity | Role |
|---|---|
| Niantic | Original Pokémon Go developer; spun off Niantic Spatial |
| Niantic Spatial | Now owns the 30 billion+ scans; builds geospatial AI models |
| Vantor | U.S. defense software company deploying the tech in military drones |
| Scopely (Saudi-owned) | Bought Niantic’s gaming division (incl. Pokémon Go) for $3.5B |
| Brian McClendon | Niantic SVP of Engineering; co-creator of Google Earth |
1 Late last year, Niantic Spatial and U.S. software company Vantor announced that Vantor would deploy the system in drones and other military robots. 1 Vantor specializes in spatial intelligence software for defense applications. 1 The company denies that it would use Pokémon Go data directly. 1 However, it also declines to confirm whether it trained the model it plans to deploy using those scans.
A Niantic Exec Already Saw This Coming
This isn’t entirely new. Back in November 2024, 2the story broke through 404 Media, who caught wind of a presentation given by Brian McClendon, Niantic’s Senior Vice President of Engineering.
When asked if militaries could purchase Niantic’s Large Geospatial Model (LGM), 7McClendon replied: “I could definitely see it.” He added, “If the use case is identical, then that seems completely fine. If the use case is specific in military and adding amplitude to war then that’s obviously an issue.”
Experts Are Alarmed
1 Jeroen van den Hoven, a professor of ethics and technology at TU Delft, stated: “Without the huge number of scans from all those gamers, the development of this system would never have progressed so quickly.” 1 He also said players had been misled: “The people who thought they were playing a game have clearly been fooled.”
One Dutch player captured the sentiment perfectly: 1“First you think you are playing a game, and then suddenly your data can be used in a war.”
The Bigger Picture — It’s Not Just Pokémon Go
1 Meta’s smart glasses continuously scan users’ surroundings, Apple’s AR headset creates 3D maps of interiors, and Waymo’s self-driving vehicles reportedly build detailed models of urban roads. The data-to-defense pipeline is becoming an industry-wide concern, not just a Niantic problem. 9 In March 2025, Niantic announced it had sold its video games unit to Scopely, a mobile game maker owned by the Saudi Royal Investment Fund, for $3.5 billion — raising even more questions about who controls player data going forward.
For a full background on the game’s history and technology, visit the official Pokémon Go Wikipedia page.
What Should Players Do?
1 British game designer Adrian Hon now advises Pokémon Go players to stop creating scans. If you’re uncomfortable with your environmental data potentially ending up in defense applications, consider:
- Disabling scan tasks in your Pokémon Go settings
- Reviewing app permissions for camera and location access
- Staying informed about Niantic Spatial’s future partnerships
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FAQs
Q: Is Pokémon Go data being directly used in military weapons?
Niantic Spatial denies direct use, but hasn’t confirmed whether its AI model — now deployed by defense firm Vantor — was trained on Pokémon Go scans. Experts say players “indirectly contributed to military applications.”
Q: Should I stop scanning locations in Pokémon Go?
If privacy is a concern, yes. Game designer Adrian Hon advises players to stop scanning, and experts recommend reviewing your app permissions for camera and location data access.
