While developer Niantic is working on new projects, fans shouldn't expect the studio to abandon the game that put it on the map, Pokemon GO, any time soon. Niantic has announced some staggering statistics about the game, which help solidify its position as one of the most successful mobile gaming ventures to date, and prove that it is still popular with gamers worldwide.

According to Niantic, Pokemon GO has been downloaded over 500 million times in over 100 different countries across both iOS and Android mobile devices. This number puts Pokemon GO on track to outpace many of the most popular mobile games ever, and in fact, it is already the biggest mobile gaming in many regions. If that weren't impressive enough, Niantic has also revealed that the walking distance of every Pokemon GO player combined is 4.6 billion kilometers, or in other words, the distance from Earth to Pluto.

Niantic believes that two factors can be credited with Pokemon GO's monumental success. For one, the enthusiasm surrounding the Pokemon brand name has been a big help, and secondly, interest in a new genre Niantic is calling "real world games" has gone a long way in helping Pokemon GO become this successful. Other companies seem to agree with Niantic's point that there is a market for "real world games," as it has inspired Sony to create more mobile titles, presumably in the "real world game" style of Pokemon GO.

Moving forward, Pokemon GO's success should continue. It's true that the game has lost 15 million daily players, but it also has yet to debut in various markets around the world. Once Pokemon GO hits digital storefronts in those markets, it's reasonable to assume that it will see a spike in the number of players actively playing the game.

Another way Pokemon GO's numbers will continue to increase is by bringing the game to more platforms. While iOS and Android smartphones pretty much have the mobile market cornered, Niantic is looking to bring Pokemon GO to other devices, such as the Apple Smart Watch, which could make the game appeal to even more consumers.

Of course, Niantic will need to address Pokemon GO's lingering technical issues if it wants to stop losing players, and possibly win back those that have quit the game. If the company continues to keep Pokemon GO updated with bug fixes and also works to add requested features like Pokemon trading to the mix, then it's hard to see how Pokemon GO won't continue to be an incredible global success story.

Pokemon GO is available now for iOS and Android mobile devices.

Source: Niantic Labs