The mobile game Pokemon Go has earned an estimated $1 billion so far in 2020, according to new reports from Sensor Tower.
With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the world and causing a lot of uncertainty for people and businesses alike, it’s been a testing time for us all.
Many businesses both big and small have struggled financially. In particular, the video game industry has been heavily impacted, with many developers and PR staff having to work remotely. This impact has naturally had an effect on release dates, pushing many games back into 2021.
How Has Pokemon Go Adapted?
Niantic’s Pokémon Go has made several adjustments due to the pandemic. Pokémon Go is a social game that encourages players to battle together in Raids which is often the requirement to catch a Legendary creature.
Due to the pandemic, Niantic has done their best to ensure players no longer meet in large groups to avoid the risk of the virus spreading.
Tactics to avoid a virus spread, but to ensure that players can still enjoy Pokémon Go have resulted in Remote Raid Passes. These remove the walking requirement for the Go Battle League. They also increase the spawn rates on Community Days to encourage players to game from home.
Despite the pandemic and the best efforts by Niantic, you’d think that the company would take a hit on profits. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Earning $1 billion in player spending for 2020 is the best year Niantic has ever had since Pokémon Go released back in 2016. Players have spent just shy of $4.2 billion since its launch. Compare this to 2019’s total, trainers have the cash to splash, with spending increasing by 11%.
Across the globe, the US is at the top of the player spending charts. US trainers have spent a whopping $1.5 billion on the game. Japan comes in at second place, with $1.3 billion. Bringing home the bronze is Germany at number 3, hitting $236 million in player spending.
As a very active player, I can vouch for the positive changes that have been made by Niantic to Pokémon Go. In fact, we’d maybe argue that, despite the pandemic, the game is better than ever.
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Featured Image Credit: Nintendo.