Pokémon GO continues to grow in popularity and revenue. New data from Sensor Tower shows that the Niantic game generated $894 million in gross player spending for 2019, an increase of 10% compared to 2018.
Pokémon GO has had an interesting story since its release in 2016. After generating $832 million in player spending during its launch year, popularity seemingly dropped in 2017 with the game generating $589 million. The next year, Pokémon GO returned to growth with $816 million in player spending.
Sensor Tower attributes Pokémon GO’s return to growth to updates to the app and better integration with real-world events. For instance, Pokémon GO last year added an augmented reality multiplayer feature, various unique in-game events, and more. For 2020, Niantic has already teased that Pokémon GO will add long-awaited support for online multiplayer in 2020.
Interestingly, Pokémon GO differs from most mobile games because it draws more revenue on Android than it does on iOS. According to Sensor Tower, Android users spent $482 million, while App Store users spent $412 million in the game. A similar story applies to downloads, with Google Play making up for 69% of new installed in 2019.
The game still generates the most player spending in the United States:
Pokémon GO caught most of its 2019 revenue in the United States, where it picked up $335 million, or 38% of all user spending. Japan ranked No. 2 for revenue with $286 million, or 32% of the total, and Germany was No. 3 with $54 million, or 6%.
All in all, Pokémon GO has generated more than $3.1 billion in lifetime player spending, today’s report says. That makes it the “runaway leader in the location-based gaming category.”
You can read Sensor Tower’s full report here. Are you a Pokémon GO player? If so, do you spend big on in-app purchases? Let us know down in the comments!
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