If you're a passionate game dev, avoid this place - Client Engineer Niantic Employee Review

2.0
22 Sept 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

People were genuinely so lovely and kind and helpful. Lots of passion from fans around Pokemon Go so many years later. Great environment if you're also a pokemon fan!

Cons

Some of the most misguided leadership (especially at exec level) and a lot of poor product managers. Working on a mobile game (no matter where you work) is soul sucking. The entire premise of a mobile game is to intentionally leave in friction to make players pay to avoid. It's scummy and awful. I worked on Pokemon Go for about a year and I really do believe PGO is one of the "better" mobile games out there and it still made me never want to work on a mobile game ever again. Multiple times I pitched new quality of life improvements for the game that were small, easy, required no new art/designs, etc. And got stopped every step of the way by either my OWN product manager, a business person, awaiting approval from partners. All of their reasons were also on "feel" no on any actual data to support the claims they made that my feature was a bad idea or would hurt revenue. They wouldn't even let me test it on a subset of players to prove my claim. This happened at least 2-3 times before I just said forget it I'm not coming up with, prototyping, demoing, and pitching new unique ideas at this company if they don't want to hear my ideas. It was outstandingly infuriating. If you are a game developer who cares a lot about making quality video games that respect and care about their players I don't recommend working here or at any mobile game studio. If you're pretty indifferent about it but like games and pokemon you might be fine here.

Explore other reviews about Niantic

5.0
20 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people, the amazing office, the work life balance, the benefits, 401k match

Cons

Niantic had few flaws and none that come to mind currently

3.0
12 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Niantic has a unique mission and works on products that blend technology, gaming, community, and real-world exploration. The people are generally smart, passionate, and collaborative, and there are opportunities to work on creative projects with global impact. The company also offers a good learning environment for those interested in gaming, AR, live operations, and location-based products.

Cons

Priorities can shift frequently, which sometimes makes it difficult for teams to stay focused or understand how their work connects to the broader company strategy. Communication from leadership could be clearer, especially during periods of change. Some processes feel reactive rather than proactive, and cross-functional alignment can vary depending on the team.

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