Pokemon GO was a massive success straight out of the gate for Niantic and The Pokemon Company. Over time, some believed that its popularity would dwindle, but that appears to be far from the case, as one new reports releases some stunning statistics on how much the game has made since its inception, as well as its current popularity.
According to Sensor Tower Store Intelligence, Niantic's mobile Pokemon game has made $2.5 billion since its release, which was less than three years ago. Interestingly, it appears that fans are becoming more excited over time with Pokemon GO rather than losing interest. The game has made over $700 million of that total since its second anniversary last July, and quarter 1 of 2019 vastly outperformed 2018's first quarter.
Pokemon GO's saw a significant boost in revenue when it finally introduced player trading last year, and the release of Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Pokemon Let's Go Eevee, which tied into the mobile franchise, have probably continued to propel the mobile game. When used together, players can transfer Pokemon caught in Pokemon GO to the Nintendo Switch game, and are rewarded with extra candies for strengthening them in Pokemon GO. While not directly tied to the app, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu's film release will likely bolster the game's numbers further, as nostalgic fans look for easily accessed Pokemon games to play.
Of course, it's worth noting that Pokemon GO's numbers aren't as staggering as some other free-to-play mobile games on the market these days. While Pokemon GO was fastest to reach $1 billion in earnings at one time, other recent mobile games have since risen to the challenge. Of course, the biggest microtransaction title to contend with is Fortnite, which earned $2.4 billion in just one year, compared to Pokemon GO's billion over its first seven months.
With the Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield release rapidly approaching, a new generation of Pokemon players will likely join the fray in Pokemon GO in the near future. As there are still several existing generations of Pokemon yet to add to the mobile game, Pokemon GO will likely see a considerable number of new and returning players joining the game as new content is implemented.
Pokemon GO is available now for mobile devices.
Source: Sensor Tower