2019 was the best year for Pokémon GO since its release. The app from Niantic brought in nearly 900 million dollars. We explain the reasons for this.
Here are the numbers: 2019 was a record year for Pokémon GO. According to Sensortower, the app made 894 million dollars. That’s 10% more than in 2018 and even more than in the release year of 2016, when almost everyone came into contact with Pokémon GO.
Over the years, Niantic has already earned over 3 billion dollars with Pokémon GO.
Why was Pokémon GO so successful in 2019?
This is behind the success: Not only in terms of revenue was 2019 a true success year for Pokémon GO. Niantic held a total of 3 GO Fests and numerous Safari Zones. For the GO Fests alone, tickets were sometimes over 40 euros each. However, this money should be added on top of the 894 million. Only the revenues from app stores were considered there, while tickets for the GO Fest could be purchased outside the shop.
Additionally, there was the live event with Regigigas, which took place in November 2019. For $7.99, players could participate worldwide in an event that brought a special research with Regigigas and further bonuses. Many players likely jumped at the opportunity and contributed a lot of money.
The introduction of Team GO Rocket was also interesting. This provided Pokémon GO with the fourth and fifth best months in history in August and September. Team Rocket was eagerly awaited by many trainers and likely brought back several returnees and newcomers to the game. Upon release, many players complained about the lack of potions, which were certainly also bought in the shop.
September, in particular, was exceptionally strong with a revenue of 126 million dollars. The Ultra Bonus also took place then, which brought Shiny Mewtwo and new Pokémon from Gen 5. For many players, that was probably the best month in the history of the game. Numerous trainers chased Shiny Mewtwo and bought various raid passes, which reflected in the revenue.
Pokémon GO introduced many features in 2019 that players had been waiting for a long time.
How successful is Pokémon GO compared to other games: On the global market, Pokémon GO is in 5th place among mobile games. In front of them are primarily games that are successful in the Chinese market. Candy Crush Saga is just ahead of Pokémon GO in 4th place and started significantly weaker than Pokémon GO in the first 3 years.
Where Pokémon GO makes the most money: The most successful countries for Pokémon GO are the USA (38%) and Japan (32%). Germany follows in third place, but is somewhat behind with 6% of total revenue.
Pokémon GO is, by the way, more successful on the Play Store. 54% of the revenue was generated through this app store. The Apple store brought in the remaining 46%.
2020 will continue to be huge in terms of gameplay. However, there are still no major changes in EX Raids:
