Pokémon GO
GameBy Niantic Labs · Released Jul 6, 2016
Documents about Pokémon GO
One Up: Competition, Creativity, and the Global Business of Video Games
The global video game industry has transitioned from a niche hobby into a dominant mainstream entertainment medium by aligning creative game design with innovative business strategies.
- Success in the modern video game industry requires treating business strategy with the same creative rigor as software development.
- The industry has shifted from physical goods to digital distribution and the games-as-a-service model to ensure long-term cultural and financial relevance.
- The research analyzes three decades of empirical data from over 200 companies, including major stakeholders like Tencent, Sony, Microsoft, and Epic Games.
Top Mobile Games by Worldwide Revenue: August 2020
The mobile gaming industry experienced significant revenue growth in August 2020, driven by seasonal trends and the ongoing impact of global pandemic-related lockdowns.
- PUBG Mobile was the top-grossing mobile game worldwide in August 2020, generating $221 million in revenue, a 25.5% increase year-over-year.
- Honor of Kings ranked second globally with $204.8 million in revenue, also achieving 25.5% year-over-year growth, with 95% of its earnings originating from China.
- Fate/Grand Order and Knives Out both reached record-high monthly revenues in August 2020, earning $163 million and $79.5 million respectively.
Pokémon Masters EX Catches $75 Million Player Spending in First Year
Pokémon Masters EX achieved $75 million in global player spending during its first year of operation, establishing itself as the second-highest grossing mobile title within the Pokémon franchise.
- Pokémon Masters EX generated $75 million in player spending during its first year, making it the second-highest grossing mobile title in the Pokémon franchise.
- A major content update and rebranding to Pokémon Masters EX on August 27, 2020, triggered a four-fold increase in weekly revenue to $5.4 million.
- Japan was the primary revenue driver for the title, accounting for $39.3 million or 52.7% of total first-year spending, followed by the U.S. at $17.5 million.
Top Mobile Games by Worldwide Revenue: June 2020
The mobile gaming industry experienced significant revenue growth in June 2020, driven by strong performances from established titles and successful regional expansions.
- Tencent's Honor of Kings was the highest-grossing mobile game worldwide in June 2020, generating over $193 million in revenue, a 50.4% increase year-over-year.
- PUBG Mobile ranked second globally with $168 million in revenue, achieving 12.8% year-over-year growth with 53% of its earnings coming from the Chinese version, Game For Peace.
- Supercell’s Brawl Stars reached its highest-grossing month ever at $84 million—a 300% increase from June 2019—following its launch in the Chinese market.
Pokémon GO Surpasses $3.6 Billion in Lifetime Revenue
Pokémon GO has solidified its position as the dominant force in the location-based mobile gaming sector, surpassing $3.6 billion in lifetime global player spending as of its four-year anniversary in July 2020.
- Pokémon GO has surpassed $3.6 billion in lifetime global player spending four years after its July 2016 launch.
- The game generated $905 million in 2019, marking its most successful year to date and surpassing the $832.5 million earned during its 2016 launch window.
- H1 2020 revenue reached $445.3 million, putting the title on track to match or exceed its 2019 record despite global pandemic-related lockdowns.
Top Mobile Games by Worldwide Revenue: May 2020
The mobile gaming industry experienced significant revenue growth in May 2020, driven by sustained player engagement during global pandemic-related lockdowns.
- PUBG Mobile was the top-grossing mobile game worldwide in May 2020, generating over $226 million in user spending and achieving 41% year-over-year growth.
- Honor of Kings ranked second globally with $204.5 million in revenue, marking a 42% year-over-year increase, with 95% of its earnings originating from China.
- Pokémon GO experienced its strongest revenue month since September 2019, earning $82.2 million in May 2020, a 45.5% increase year-over-year attributed to pandemic-related gameplay adjustments.
A 2020 Vision for XR: is this the Year AR & VR Break Through? | PGC Digital #1
The year 2019 marked a critical transition for extended reality, moving the industry away from low-end mobile VR toward high-quality, standalone hardware like the Oculus Quest.
- The industry is shifting from short-form mini-games toward deep, persistent, and social multiplayer experiences, which experts identify as the primary catalyst for mass adoption.
- The transition from low-end mobile VR to high-quality standalone hardware like the Oculus Quest has successfully expanded the user base beyond early adopters to include families and casual players.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated demand for immersive digital solutions in remote collaboration and cultural archiving, while driving record engagement for high-fidelity titles like Half-Life: Alyx.
Top Mobile Games by Worldwide Revenue: March 2020
The primary objective of this analysis is to identify the highest-grossing mobile games worldwide during March 2020.
- PUBG Mobile was the top-grossing mobile game worldwide in March 2020, generating over $232 million, which is more than triple its revenue from March 2019.
- Honor of Kings ranked second globally with over $112 million in gross revenue, with 93% of its earnings originating from China.
- PUBG Mobile experienced its best month for user spending to date, marking a 21.8% increase over February 2020, driven by its second-anniversary event and potential shifts in consumer behavior due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pokémon Home Was Downloaded 1.3 Million Times in Its First Week on Mobile
The launch of Pokémon Home, a cloud-based storage service for the Pokémon franchise, achieved significant market traction during its initial week of availability in February 2020.
- Pokémon Home generated 1.3 million mobile installs globally during its first week following its February 12, 2020, launch.
- The service generated an estimated $1.8 million in user spending during its first week, driven by three subscription tiers priced at $2.99, $4.99, and $15.99.
- The United States led global adoption with 444,000 installs (34% of total) and 40.8% of total user spending.
Pokémon GO Has Best Year Ever in 2019
Pokémon GO achieved its most successful year since its 2016 launch, generating an estimated $894 million in gross player spending throughout 2019.
- Pokémon GO achieved its highest annual revenue since its 2016 launch, generating $894 million in gross player spending during 2019.
- The game ranked as the fifth highest-earning mobile game globally in 2019, trailing only behind titles like Candy Crush Saga and Honor of Kings.
- Revenue growth in 2019 was driven by consistent live operations and in-game events, specifically the introduction of Team Rocket in July, which led to $116 million and $126 million in revenue for August and September respectively.
Minecraft Earth Builds Up 1.4 Million Downloads After U.S. Rollout
This analysis examines the early performance of the location-based augmented reality game Minecraft Earth following its November 2019 expansion into the United States.
- Following its November 12, 2019, U.S. launch, Minecraft Earth generated 1.4 million downloads in one week, bringing its total early access downloads to approximately 2.5 million.
- The game's initial performance trails other major location-based AR titles, significantly behind the 32.7 million first-week downloads of Pokémon GO and the 3.1 million of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
- The United States market dominated the launch week, accounting for 1.2 million downloads (86.2% of the total) and $86,000 in gross revenue (92.8% of the total).
Top Mobile Games by Worldwide Revenue: October 2019
The mobile gaming industry experienced significant revenue shifts in October 2019, characterized by the dominance of established titles and the rapid ascent of new market entrants.
- PUBG Mobile by Tencent was the highest-earning mobile game in October 2019, generating $153.9 million in worldwide revenue, a 7x increase compared to October 2018.
- Honor of Kings, also from Tencent, ranked second with $116.2 million in gross revenue, with 92% of its earnings originating from the Chinese market.
- Moon Active’s Coin Master entered the top 10 global revenue rankings for the first time in October 2019, generating $63.1 million.
Companies behind it
- Nianticdeveloper, owner, publisher86
Scopelypublisher186
Epic Gamesdeveloper698
Googlepublisher1,611
Take-Two Interactivepublisher265- The Pokémon Companypublisher22
Nintendoowner1,404
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