August 2019 was the most successful month in Pokémon GO since September 2016. What was the reason for that?
This is what August brought in: According to Sensortower, August was the most successful month in terms of revenue in the history of Pokémon GO since September 2016.
According to Sensortower, the game earned around 110 million dollars worldwide in August. Thus, August was not only the best month since September 2016, but also the fourth-best month ever. Only July 2016 (256 million dollars), August 2016 (195 million dollars), and September 2016 (141 million dollars) generated more revenue for the game. Even July 2019 was significantly more successful compared to the previous months.
Things are going well for Pokémon GO. Analyst Daniel Ahmad even predicts total revenues of three billion dollars for the game on Twitter before the end of the year. Impressive numbers – especially considering the game is free to download. What is the reason for that?
Shiny Rayquaza attracts – players excited
These could be the reasons: Sensortower attributes the great success to the introduction of the long-standing Pokémon villains Team Rocket at the end of July. The Rocket thugs suddenly appeared on the map and took over some PokéStops. The villains had to be defeated – thus freeing the Crypto-Pokémon they used.
The battles against Team Rocket members presented a new battle feature and were well received. But were the villains really the only reason for the success?
Not necessarily. A specific Pokémon that many players wished for could also be involved. On Twitter, some users commented: “They owe it all to Shiny Rayquaza.” And this sentiment is also echoed in the Pokémon subreddit: “I’m not surprised. Shiny Rayquaza brought a lot of people to raids,” speculated a user “SerebiiNet“.
The player “JakeyYNG” even launched the app again only because of Rayquaza: “I was out for a few months and came back just for Shiny Rayquaza. I hope it returns in the next years. I will probably be a hardcore PoGo player just for Shiny Rayquaza raids.” Many commenters agreed with this opinion. Especially because Rayquaza could be defeated in duo, led players to spend a lot of raid passes – says “JerBear_2008“.
Apart from Team Rocket and Rayquaza, there was still plenty to do. Among other things, the Water Festival took place and the Jirachi quest also started. Furthermore, it should not be neglected that it was still summer – and in summer, roaming around outside and catching is just more fun.
This is how Pokémon GO follows up on August: Will September follow up on that? Shiny Rayquaza is history for now. Nevertheless, September has a lot to offer as well. Currently, the Johto journey with Icognito is ongoing, new raid bosses are coming and the introduction of the 5th generation. The dates and times for the new raid hours are already available.
From mid-month, you can challenge Shiny Mewtwo in raids – it is quite possible that the popular Pokémon will have a similar effect as Rayquaza. And there should be a new EX raid boss as well:
