Pokémon Go Grosses $3.6 Billion Within Four Years of Launch, Goes Strong Amidst Lockdown

Pokémon Go, the uber-popular augmented reality mobile game from Niantic, has grossed a lifetime collection of $3.6 billion (roughly Rs. 26,940.7 crores) since its launch on July 6, 2016, according to mobile intelligence firm Sensor Tower. The game pushes players to go out and look for virtual Pokémons in their surrounding locales. However, during the coronavirus-induced lockdowns all over the world, Niantic altered game mechanics in April so that players can have similar fun indoors. This proved to be particularly beneficial for the brand as the game showed collections of $445 million (roughly Rs. 3,330.5 crores) in the first half of 2020.

According to Store Intelligence estimates from Sensor Tower, Pokémon Go faced a tough competition from fellow location-based mobile game Dragon Quest Walk by Square Enix, which collected a total of $540 million (roughly Rs. 4,041.8 crores) since its launch in September 2019. In comparison, Ludia's Jurassic World Alive collected $76.5 million (roughly Rs. 572.5 crores) in over two years. Tencent's Let's Hunt Monsters posted a lifetime collection of nearly $70 million (roughly Rs. 523.8 crores) since its launch in April 2019 from iOS alone.

To date, Pokémon Go has seen a total of 576.7 million downloads. Out of which, 105.2 million were seen in the US, where the game is most popular. Brazil ranks second with nearly 63 million downloads, followed by Mexico with 36 million.

The lion's share of Pokémon Go's collection came from Google Play Store, accounting for 53.6 percent of total player spending. With over 450 million downloads, Google Play accounts for 78.3 percent of the game's total worldwide downloads.

When strict lockdowns were imposed owing to the global pandemic, it was expected that location-based world exploration games may take a hit during the period. However, in April, Pokémon Go introduced several updates that made the game playable indoors. It introduced the Remote Raid Pass, which allowed up to 20 gamers to participate in Raid Battles by going to the in-game Nearby screen. To purchase a pass for the same, players have to spend 100 in-game PokéCoins, which can be purchased for $0.99 (roughly Rs. 75).

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