According to a report, Pokémon GO is said to have generated the lowest revenue since 2017 in 2023. One thing is clear: it was a controversial year for the game.
What does the report say? The well-known statistics website ‘Statista’ published an overview of the global annual revenue of Pokémon GO since 2016. The year 2023 was now also included. Statista refers to data from the provider ‘AppMagic’ (via statista.com).
According to the report, Pokémon GO generated an annual revenue of 566.38 million US dollars in 2023. For comparison, the revenues from previous years:
- 2016: 550.45 million US dollars
- 2017: 444.75 million US dollars
- 2018: 607.62 million US dollars
- 2019: 653.47 million US dollars
- 2020: 908.94 million US dollars
- 2021: 875.78 million US dollars
- 2022: 652.24 million US dollars
- 2023: 566.38 million US dollars
Consequently, Pokémon GO would have had its weakest revenue since 2017 in 2023.
What should be noted? The data is not official information from Niantic, but estimates from the provider AppMagic. Already in April 2023, there were discussions about a revenue decline for Pokémon GO based on this provider’s data. Niantic commented critically on this to the portal Eurogamer in a statement at the time: “We generally do not comment on third-party estimates of our revenue, as they are often incorrect, which is the case here.” Read more about the case at that time here.
Accordingly, the data should be treated with caution. Nevertheless: that 2023 was a controversial year for Pokémon GO is undisputed.
What happened in Pokémon GO in 2023?
At the beginning of 2023, Pokémon GO made a change that was not well received by many players: They made adjustments to the Remote Raid system. Remote Raid Passes can be used to participate in a raid without being at a gym in person. Instead, you can join from all over the world via an invitation.
- On one hand, the Remote Raid Passes became more expensive
- On the other hand, a limit was introduced that allows only a conditional number of Remote Raids per day. In general, it is a maximum of five per day, which is sometimes adjusted or removed during certain events.
Many players reacted with anger and demanded a reversal of the change, some even announced they would delete the game.
Meanwhile, Niantic emphasized in 2023 that they wanted to focus more on the on-site experience in Pokémon GO. Accordingly, several features were released in 2023, such as:
- The Routes feature
- The Crypto Raids, which can only be completed on-site
- The Party Play feature
- The Showcases
A summary of the major features in 2023 can be found here. Notably: These features are initially not related to in-app purchases. Showcases, Party Play, and Routes can be played completely without spending money, and for Raid battles, at least one daily free pass is provided.
Given the controversy at the time and the limit for Remote Raids, it would be quite fitting that Pokémon GO’s revenue decreased in 2023.
As of now, there is still no official statement from Niantic on the subject. As soon as there are any updates, we will keep you informed. If you want to know what else is happening in Pokémon GO: Here you can find all events in February 2024 for Pokémon GO.
