Pokémon GO
GameBy Niantic Labs · Released Jul 6, 2016
Documents about Pokémon GO
Mobile Game Market Review: November 2021
The global mobile gaming landscape in November 2021 was characterized by a strategic convergence of high-profile intellectual property collaborations, seasonal event cycles, and a deepening focus on social-driven engagement mechanics.
- Brawl Stars experienced a significant spike in downloads in November 2021, driven by a strategic sponsorship of MrBeast’s real-life recreation of the Netflix series 'Squid Game', which garnered 42 million views in a single day.
- Netflix’s 'Arcane' series served as a major driver for cross-promotional content in November, influencing events in 'League of Legends: Wild Rift' and 'Battle of the Golden Spatula', the latter of which featured a new Arcane-themed battle pass and hero badge collection system.
- PUBG: New State launched in November 2021 with a futuristic setting and improved traversal mechanics, reaching a peak rank of 62 in the top-grossing charts before settling closer to the top 200 position.
Niantic Shutting Down Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
The provided text details a significant strategic shift for Niantic, transitioning from a mobile game developer to a geospatial artificial intelligence firm.
- Scopely has agreed to acquire Niantic’s game development business for $3.5 billion, gaining control of major titles including Pokémon GO, Monster Hunter Now, and Pikmin Bloom.
- Niantic’s game portfolio, which generates over $1 billion in annual revenue and maintains 30 million monthly active users, will continue to be led by Kei Kawai and Ed Wu post-acquisition.
- Following the sale, Niantic will pivot to focus on geospatial AI and AR technology through a new standalone entity, Niantic Spatial, funded by $250 million in capital.
Through the Grapevine: 3 Ways to Market Your Game With the Help of Your Player Base
Mobile game developers can significantly enhance user acquisition and retention by leveraging their existing player base through strategic referral and social sharing incentives.
- Mobile games can drive user acquisition by implementing referral systems that offer progressive rewards, such as the tiered invitation events used by Cookie Run: Kingdom and Garena Free Fire.
- Mentorship mechanics, like those in Pokémon GO and Monster Strike, incentivize high-level players to recruit and retain new users by offering rewards for reaching specific progression milestones.
- Collaborative tasks between veteran and novice players, such as the joint missions in Ensemble Stars!! Music, can be used to deepen engagement and provide exclusive rewards for both parties.
Netmarble’s New Hit Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds Surpasses $100 Million in Revenue
Netmarble’s mobile title, Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds, achieved significant commercial success shortly after its June 2021 launch, surpassing $100 million in global revenue within just 11 days.
- Netmarble’s Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds generated $101.3 million in mobile revenue across the App Store and Google Play within its first 11 days of release.
- The game reached the $100 million revenue milestone faster than Pokémon GO (12 days) and Genshin Impact (13 days).
- Japan was the primary revenue driver, accounting for 45% of total spending, followed by South Korea at 35% and Taiwan at 15.7%.
Mobile Games IP Report 2021: The Top Five IP-Based Titles in the U.S.
The 2021 Mobile Games IP Report examines the financial impact and market penetration of intellectual property-based titles within the United States mobile gaming sector during 2020.
- IP-based titles generated 23% of all U.S. mobile game player spending in 2020, despite accounting for only 9% of all games.
- The top five IP-based mobile games—Pokémon GO, PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, Marvel Strike Force, and Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle—accumulated $1.4 billion in U.S. player spending during 2020.
- Video game franchises were the leading source of IP revenue, accounting for one-third of all licensed mobile game spending, led by Pokémon GO at 12% of the total IP market share.
Genshin Impact Surpasses $1 Billion in Revenue on Mobile
This analysis covers two distinct milestones in the mobile gaming industry: the rapid revenue growth of Genshin Impact and the broader evolution of mobile game ad monetization.
- Genshin Impact became the fastest mobile game to reach $1 billion in revenue, achieving this milestone in less than six months following its September 2020 launch.
- Mobile game advertising revenue across 19 major markets exceeded $12 billion in 2025, driven by 2.4 trillion ad impressions.
- The share of mobile games utilizing ad monetization increased from 45.1% in July 2021 to 55.6% by May 2026, amid a period of stagnation in in-app purchase revenue.
Genshin Impact Races Past $1 Billion on Mobile
Genshin Impact has achieved a significant financial milestone, surpassing $1 billion in global mobile player spending in less than six months following its September 2020 launch.
- Genshin Impact became the fastest mobile game to reach $1 billion in player spending, achieving the milestone in less than six months following its September 28, 2020, launch.
- The game maintains a strong revenue cadence, averaging approximately $160 million in monthly mobile spending since December 2020.
- Live operations are a primary growth driver, with specific character releases like Xiao and Hu Tao generating single-day revenue spikes of $15 million and $13 million, respectively.
Top Grossing Mobile Games Worldwide: February 2021
The mobile gaming landscape in February 2021 was characterized by significant year-over-year revenue growth among top-tier titles, driven by strategic in-game events and sustained player engagement.
- PUBG Mobile from Tencent's TiMi Studios was the top-grossing mobile game worldwide in February 2021, generating $250 million in player spending, a 16.2% increase year-over-year.
- Tencent's Honor of Kings ranked second globally with $218.5 million in revenue, marking a 57.2% year-over-year growth, with 95.6% of its earnings originating from China.
- Pokémon GO achieved $124.2 million in February 2021, a 95% year-over-year increase, driven by the ticketed Pokémon GO Tour: Kanto event which generated $10.6 million in a single day.
2021 Mobile GameDev Awards Winners
The 2021 Mobile GameDev Awards recognize excellence in mobile game design, innovation, and user experience.
- Genshin Impact (miHoYo) was the standout title of 2020, winning awards for Innovation & Excellence in Core Gameplay, Best Newcomer in the US and Japan, and Best Event in the US for its 'Unreconciled Stars' campaign.
- The 2021 Mobile GameDev Awards recognized excellence across six categories: Innovation & Excellence in Core Gameplay, Most Promising Soft Launch Game, Biggest Evolver, Best Newcomer, Best Feature Innovation, and Best Event.
- Farlight 84 (Lilith Games) was identified as the 2020 soft launch game with the highest potential for breakout success based on its gameplay design.
Top Grossing Mobile Games Worldwide: December 2020
The mobile gaming industry experienced significant revenue growth in December 2020, as evidenced by the performance of top-tier titles across global markets.
- Tencent’s Honor of Kings was the top-grossing mobile game worldwide in December 2020, generating $258 million in player spending, a 58% increase year-over-year.
- PUBG Mobile ranked second globally with over $177 million in revenue, marking a 7.5% year-over-year growth.
- Genshin Impact generated $163.5 million in December 2020, with Japan overtaking China as its most lucrative market by contributing 30.3% of total revenue.
Billion-Dollar Mobile Games in 2020
The mobile gaming industry experienced a significant surge in 2020, characterized by a record-breaking number of titles reaching the $1 billion annual revenue milestone.
- In 2020, a record five mobile games surpassed $1 billion in annual revenue, up from three titles in 2019 and 2018.
- PUBG Mobile (including the Chinese version Game For Peace) was the top-grossing game of 2020, generating approximately $2.6 billion, a 64.3% increase over 2019.
- Honor of Kings, also from Tencent, secured the second spot with nearly $2.5 billion in player spending, representing 42.8% year-over-year growth.
Top Grossing Mobile Games Worldwide: November 2020
This analysis details the top-grossing mobile games worldwide for November 2020, utilizing data from the Store Intelligence platform to track gross user spending across the Apple App Store and Google Play.
- Honor of Kings by Tencent was the top-grossing mobile game worldwide in November 2020, generating $230.5 million in user spending, a 62.5% increase from November 2019.
- PUBG Mobile, also from Tencent, ranked second with $173.8 million in revenue, representing 3.8% year-over-year growth.
- Genshin Impact by miHoYo ranked third globally with $143 million in revenue, with Japan serving as its largest market at $38 million (26.6% of total).
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