Pokémon GO continues to have a positive influence on the world, even after it released in what will be remembered as a particularly turbulent year.
It soon became a cultural phenomenon after developer Niantic started to roll the location-based game out worldwide in July, and, in the months that followed, market research App Annie reports that it has been able to generate an estimated $950 million in revenue.
That isn’t a surprise given that it had been downloaded more than 500 million times by September alone, and it is clear that players didn’t mind spending money on in-app purchases to help them in their quest to complete the Pokédex.
“By attracting millions of non-gamers, it reached a level of success that eludes even some of the most successful traditional video games,” App Annie reports. “This was thanks to the game’s beloved intellectual property, simple mechanics, real-world augmented reality gameplay, and perhaps most of all, its social nature.”
Pokémon GO’s revenue hit $800 million after four months and went on to hit $950 million by the end of the year. It was the most downloaded game on the App Store and Google Play, and ranked third in revenue behind Monster Strike and Clash Royale.
“This was far faster than some of the most successful mobile games of all time,” the report adds. “To put Pokémon GO’s success in a broader perspective, its global consumer spend in 2016 exceeded the total worldwide box office gross of Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice.
