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Pokémon Go has just had its most lucrative month since its launch three years ago, making $176 million in profits in August (via MCV).
People still play Pokémon Go? It turns out that yep, they do, and they make Niantic a lotta dollar. According to game industry analysts SuperData, the monster hunting augmented reality game topped the mobile charts last month with unprecedented profits. ‘Pokémon GO generated $176 million in August, marking its highest point since peaking in 2016,’ it said. ‘Outperformance was partly driven by a flurry of in-game events as Niantic capitalized on what is typically the game’s strongest month.’
Pokémon Go is supported with Community Days; monthly events in which one Pokémon is featured to appear frequently in the wild and comes with added bonuses like extended lure durations and reduced hatch distance for eggs. In addition, there are Pokémon Go Fests held in different cities around the world that bring trainers together with Special Research challenges. August’s Pokémon Go Fest was in Yokohama, Japan, and offered the chance to catch shiny variants of Poliwag, Lotad, Taillow, Swablu and Snorunt. Even Bill Nighy plays Pokémon Go, so if you were ever sceptical of the game’s success, that should settle your reservations.
Recently, Pokémon from the Unova region have been released into the wild, including the Black and White starters and new regional exclusives. But, a proportion of players aren’t happy with Niantic’s reticence on the shiny rates from hatched Pokémon, and so claimed that the developer has breached the iOS App Store Terms of Service.
