{"id":20202,"date":"2025-01-02T18:35:37","date_gmt":"2025-01-02T15:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kevuru.smplfy.eu\/?p=20202"},"modified":"2026-01-06T19:03:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T19:03:16","slug":"how-does-pokemon-go-make-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kevurugames.com\/blog\/how-does-pokemon-go-make-money\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does Pok\u00e9mon Go Make Money?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every season, there is a game everybody\u2019s talking about. Eight years ago, in the summer of 2016, it was Pok\u00e9mon Go, a game that everyone was obsessed with, even people who didn\u2019t follow the latest gaming trends or weren’t into gaming at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game was innovative not just because it used AR but also because it made players leave their homes and explore the world around them. They would still stare at their phones while walking outside, but at least they would be walking outside. That was revolutionary at the time, and really nothing similar of the same level of popularity has appeared since then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is the game doing in 2024, long after its hype time? Is it profitable? And how much money did Pok\u00e9mon Go make in all these years? Read on to find out answers to all of these questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Pok\u00e9mon Go?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"a
Image source: pokemongolive.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go is an AR mobile game available on both Android and iOS platforms that lets players find, collect, train, and fight Pok\u00e9mon that appear in locations around them using their cameras. Pok\u00e9mon can be found on the streets of every city with the help of augmented reality tools. The game went viral right after its release in 2016, having millions of players all over the world walking around catching invisible creatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game is a part of Pok\u00e9mon, a Japanese franchise that started with a video game in 1996 and went on with manga, anime, and a trading card game. The name Pok\u00e9mon comes from \u201cpocket monster.\u201d These \u201cmonsters\u201d are little creatures of different species, each with a unique appearance and powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go was developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pok\u00e9mon Company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go Player Count and Popularity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Current Player Numbers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In December 2024, there were over 97 million active Pok\u00e9mon Go players, according to activeplayer.io<\/a> count. The maximum amount of daily players was over 26 million. Compared to the same month of the previous year, the numbers have grown by 15%. Here is the table showing dynamics over the last year and a half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"table<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How Many Downloads Does Pok\u00e9mon Go Have?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go has over 500 million downloads, a crazy amount for an AR game. Half of those downloads happened in the first year, but the game has maintained a stable number of players in the following years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Pok\u00e9mon Go Still Popular in 2024?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The number of players in the years following 2016 was drastically lower than the year of the release. It may look as if the game was just a momentary hype that didn\u2019t last, but at a closer look, you\u2019ll see that the game hasn\u2019t lost its popularity much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People who played it at its height in 2016 may just follow the hype, and naturally, they didn\u2019t stay for long. However, the loyal fanbase is still big even after 8 years after the release. And these players are more important for the business than the ones that just downloaded it out of curiosity. Long-time players are the ones who are most likely to spend money in-game, and that\u2019s what matters for the game developers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go Revenue and Earnings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How Much Money Has Pok\u00e9mon Go Made?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The data on Pok\u00e9mon Go earnings is based on player spending (in-app purchases). From this source, by the end of 2024, Pok\u00e9mon Go had made<\/a> $8 billion. This doesn\u2019t include the money from sponsor locations and the amount of money people spent on the Niantic web shop, where players can purchase game items. The shop was launched in 2023, and probably a part of in-app spending has shifted there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Much Money Does Pok\u00e9mon Go Make a Year?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Graph<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Based on the data on in-app spending, we know that Pok\u00e9mon Go earns $800,000-900,000 a year through App Stores. In pandemic years, Pok\u00e9mon Go annual revenue has been higher, reaching $1,3 billion in in-app purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go Profit Analysis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The results of tracking in-app purchases and adjusting to inflation show that the game hasn\u2019t been growing its player spending in recent years. However, it doesn\u2019t mean that the Pok\u00e9mon Go team isn\u2019t very good at monetization strategies. Here is an example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we see the graph of the games\u2019 earnings, a spike during the pandemic isn\u2019t surprising. Most games had seen a rise in popularity when people were locked down and had more free time. However, it\u2019s not so easy in the case of Pok\u00e9mon Go, a game that requires players to go out and visit specific locations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems that the game would have a crisis period when most players had limited mobility during the lockdowns. Yet it wasn\u2019t the case \u2013 Pok\u00e9mon Go managed to gain new users and earn extra by introducing several innovations to the game that made it possible to play without having to go out \u2013 remote raids, GO Battle League, and Special Research stories, virtual events, and daily free items. Later, they canceled some of the pandemic innovations to return to their initial format and get income from sponsor locations again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in all, the profit of Pok\u00e9mon Go is stable, as the game has diverse revenue streams. Let\u2019s take a closer look at them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revenue Models of Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go operates on a freemium model. It\u2019s free to play, but players can benefit by paying \u2013 for example, decreasing the waiting time for the next Pok\u00e9mon to appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Does Pok\u00e9mon Go Make Money?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go has several revenue streams: in-app purchases, advertising (sponsored locations), ticketed events, and merchandising. These are typical for most viral video games, but using advanced technologies like AR gives Niantic some extra opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, they announced<\/a> the creation of a Large Geospatial Model (LGM) to revolutionize spatial intelligence for augmented reality (AR) and beyond. Although this news has raised more concerns about privacy, for the business, it means a potential for big profits from such a model, which wouldn\u2019t have been possible without millions of people scanning their surroundings in search of Pok\u00e9mon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In-Game Purchases<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Like most freemium games, in-game purchases are the main revenue stream for Pok\u00e9mon Go. The currency is called Pok\u00e9Coins, and it can buy use Pok\u00e9 balls (containers for capturing Pok\u00e9mon), items to attract them, double XP, and storage upgrades that allow players to hold more Pok\u00e9mon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pok\u00e9mon
Image source: https:\/\/www.thegamer.com\/pokemon-go-how-to-earn-pokecoins\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pok\u00e9Coins can also be earned by completing game tasks, but buying is much easier and faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advertising (sponsored locations)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since the game requires players to leave home and visit various locations, business owners use it as an opportunity to increase traffic to their caf\u00e9s or shops. Starbucks and McDonalds paid to be included on the list of Pok\u00e9mon Go locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pok\u00e9
Image source: www.teenvogue.com\/story\/pokeball-frappuccino-starbucks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starbucks had many Pok\u00e9Stops, and offered Pok\u00e9mon-themed drinks to clients. People come to catch a rare species and grab a coffee on their way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ticketed Events<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The number of events in the game is enormous. From big events like the annual Pok\u00e9mon Go Fest to regular Community Days, there is always something going on in the world of Pok\u00e9mons to attend. Some events are location-based, while others are virtual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Crowd

21,000 attendees at Pok\u00e9mon fest in Chicago
Image source: Niantic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The prices typically vary from $1 to $20. However, some events offer additional in-game purchases that maximize the event experience. For example, the cost of the base ticket and all the additional items for the Into the Wild event (November 2024) would reach up to $340.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some events are created in collaborations \u2013 with locations like those described above or with other popular brands or celebrities \u2013 for example, Ed Sheeran, Uniqlo, The North Face x Gucci.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

H2\tWant to Develop a Game Like Pok\u00e9mon Go?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are many games with augmented reality on the market, but Pok\u00e9mon Go is the only AR game that went viral and became a cultural phenomenon. What it takes to make a successful game is not just technology knowledge \u2013 it\u2019s an exceptional game design, art, and monetization strategy. This is what makes Pok\u00e9mon Go so successful and profitable. If you need a partner to develop the next hit, contact our professionals, and we\u2019ll see what we can do for you.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every season, there is a game everybody\u2019s talking about. Eight years ago, in the summer of 2016, it was Pok\u00e9mon Go, a game that everyone was obsessed with, even people who didn\u2019t follow the latest gaming trends or weren’t into gaming at all. The game was innovative not just because it used AR but also […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":21335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[91,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-gaming-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Does Pok\u00e9mon Go Make Money? The Business Model Behind The Most Popular AR Mobile Game<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how Pok\u00e9mon Go makes money through in-app purchases, sponsored locations, ticketed events, and more. 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