Pokémon GO Is The Most Successful Mobile Launch Ever

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Pokémon GO has been named as the most successful mobile launch ever, with SuperData Research reporting that Niantic’s augmented reality app helped to drive growth in the mobile category by 16 percent in July year-on-year.

Worldwide digital game sales rose by $5.9 billion that month, itself a 10 percent increase in comparison to the previous year. Comparatively, digital console sales climbed by 11 percent, with free-to-play PC games up by the same percentage. However, social games and pay-to-play massively multiplayer online games saw a decline.

Whereas Pokémon GO surpassed Monster Strike as the top mobile game, with Mobile Strike, Clash of Clans, and Clash Royale coming in behind. Niantic’s success soon became clear, in that their app took the top place in both top-grossing and top-download chart rankings for every country that it launched in.

The Pokémon GO effect carried across to Nintendo 3DS, which saw hardware sales rise by more than 50 percent in July compared to last year. Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, Pokémon X, and Pokémon Y sales also doubled.

“Nintendo’s mobile strategy ended up paying off exactly as intended,” SuperData Research explained. “3DS unit sales rose by over 50 percent from a year ago, an astonishing feat for underpowered hardware nearing the end of its lifespan. Furthermore, sales of 3DS games boomed.

“Combined sales of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and Pokémon X and Y (2015 and 2013 releases) nearly doubled. Pokémon Go is the only factor that can explain jumps in sales of this magnitude. We are optimistic that mobile spin-offs for Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing will have a positive impact on Nintendo’s ecosystem.”

[Thanks VentureBeat]
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