REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Happy Birthday Pokémon Go
Around this time last year, thousands of people were $4 around the world while playing Pokémon Go, the hit game by Niantic Labs.
While the crowds are mostly gone one year later, Pokémon Go has been nothing short of a global phenomenon. It's amassed over $1 billion in revenue faster than any mobile game and boasts $4.
$4, $4, and others have also heralded Pokémon Go as the first successful use case for augmented reality, the nascent tech that overlays virtual objects onto the real world.
To celebrate its one-year anniversary, Niantic is $4 until July 24 that lets players catch a limited-edition Pikachu and buy a special bundle of items in the virtual shop.
Pokémon Go by the numbers:
- Pokémon Go has brought in $1.25 billion in worldwide revenue from in-app purchases, according to analytics firm App Annie.
- While user growth has steadily declined since its release one year ago, the game had about 60 million monthly users in June, according to Apptopia. Some small spikes in growth have correlated to temporary promotions that release more kinds of specific Pokémon into the world.
What's next:
- Now that initial hype has passed, Niantic has started focusing its efforts on improving the game for its most loyal players. A new gym system was recently introduced $4, and Niantic CEO John Hanke $4 that trading and player-versus-player combat features are coming.
- Multiple real-world events put on by Niantic are expected to draw tens of thousands of people this summer. This $4 is expected to draw around 20,000 players, while an event in Japan later this summer is expected to draw several hundred thousand.